*">-    /j/V. 


EllisNewliin  Wlliamson 

^  Bloomfield.    New  Jersey  «? 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


WRITINGS 


OF 


SEVERN  TEACKLE  WALLIS 


MEMORIAL  EDITION 


VOL.  IV 

SPAIN 

HER  INSTITUTIONS,  POLITICS  AND 
PUBLIC  MEN 


BALTIMORE 

JOHN  MURPHY  &  CO. 
1896 


SPAIN 


HER 


INSTITUTIONS,  POLITICS 


AND 


PUBLIC   MEN 


A   SKETCH 


By   S.    T.  WALLIS 

AUTHOR  OF  "  GLIMPSES  OF  SPAIN  " 


BALTIMORE 

JOHN   MURPHY  &  CO 
1896 


U3  iS, 


TO 


THE  HONORABLE  JOHN  GLENN, 

I).   S.   JUDGE  FOR  THE  DISTRICT  OF  MARYLAND, 
IN 

Grateful  Acknowledgment  of  jMany  Kindnesses. 


PREFACE. 


WHEN  writing  the  "  Glimpses  of  Spain,"  the  author  sup- 
posed it  scarcely  possible  that  he  should  ever  return  to 
that  country.  The  work,  however,  was  still  in  the  press,  when 
he  was  honored  by  an  invitation  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior 
of  the  United  States,  to  visit  Madrid  upon  an  important  profes- 
sional errand.  The  offer  was  too  flattering  to  be  declined,  and  the 
present  volume  is  one  of  the  results  of  its  acceptance. 

Though  the  author  did  not  occupy  any  recognized  relation  to 
the  Spanish  government,  the  nature  of  his  duties,  and  the  inter- 
course and  connections  resulting  from  his  position,  afforded  him 
many  and  excellent  opportunities  of  knowledge  and  observation. 
He  does  not  profess  to  have  availed  himself  of  his  advantages  as 
fully  as  he  might,  had  his  duties  been  less  engrossing;  but  he 
trusts  it  will  be  found  that  they  have  enabled  him  to  give  the 
work  which  follows  a  less  ephemeral  character  than  that  of  an 
ordinary  book  of  travels.  In  the  attempt  to  do  this,  he  has  sought 
to  communicate,  as  far  as  practicable,  such  information  in  regard 
to  Spain,  as  is  not,  to  his  knowledge,  accessible  elsewhere. 

Much  of  this  volume  was  prepared,  as  the  whole  should  have 
been,  soon  after  the  writer's  return  to  the  United  States.  Having 
had  no  control  over  the  circumstances  which  delayed  its  comple- 
tion, he  has  endeavored  to  countervail  them  by  keeping  pace  with 
the  intermediate  progress  of  Spanish  affairs,  and  is  persuaded  that 

•  •  •  • 

11  Vll 


vm  PREFACE. 

he  has  thus  been  able  to  present,  on  the  whole,  a  fair  contemporary 
view  of  his  subject.  The  reader  will,  of  course,  make  allowance  for 
the  generalities  of  both  statement  and  reflection  which  it  was  im- 
possible to  avoid  in  a  sketch.  The  favorable  reception  of  his 
former  work  gives  the  author  some  confidence  that  the  present 
volume  will  not  meet  with  the  less  consideration  because  he  has 
again  attempted  to  portray  the  national  characteristics  of  the 
Spaniards,  without  underrating  their  intelligence,  depreciating 
their  morals,  or  caricaturing  their  manners  and  religion. 

It  would  be  unpardonable  to  send  forth  the  record  of  a  most 
agreeable  sojourn  in  the  Spanish  capital,  without  acknowledging 
the  indebtedness  of  the  author  to  the  officers  of  the  United  States 
Legation  there,  and  especially  to  the  Hon.  Mr.  Barringer,  for  all 
the  pleasure  and  advantage  which  courtesy  and  kindness  could 
give  to  personal  and  official  intercourse. 

BALTrMORE,  January,  1853. 


CONTENTS. 


I. 

PAGE. 

Journey  to  Madrid 1 


II. 

Lodging-Houses,  Lodging,  and  Life  in  Madrid. — Servants,  &c 4 

III. 
Foundation,  Locality,  Climate,  Dress,  Health,  &c.  of  Madrid 12 

IV. 

Puerta  del   Sol.— Public  Habits  of  the  Madrilenos.— The  Prado.— 

Equipages. — Horsemen. — Atocha  Walk. — Women  of  Madrid 20 

V. 

Constitutional  History  and  Epochs. — Constitutions. — Ferdinand  the 
Seventh. — Due  d'Angouleme. — Cristina. — Don  Carlos.— Estatuto 
Real. — History  of  Parties. — Espartero. — Narvaez 28 

VI. 

Constitution  of  1845. — Its  Provisions  and  Character. — The  Cortes. — 
Elections. — Pay  of  Members. — Executive  Influence. — Its  Benefits. 

— Republican  Propagandism 40 

ix 


X  CONTENTS. 

VII. 

The  Executive  and  Judiciary.— Juries  and  the  Trial  by  Jury 53 

VIII. 

Jurisprudence. — Codes. — Colonial  System. — Administration  of  Justice. 

— Escribanos. — Judges.— The  Legal  Profession 62 

IX. 

The  Press.  —  Newspapers.  —  Sartorius.  —  The  Puritans.  —  Pacheco. — 

Party  Organs 76 

X. 

Cuba  and  the  United  States.— The  Cronica  Newspaper.— Parties  in 
Cuba.— Public  Sentiment  there.— Abuses  and  their  Remedy. — 
Annexation 90 

XL 

The  Chamber  of  Deputies.— Teatro  de  Oriente.— Ministers  and  Opposi- 
tion.—Council  of  Ministers.— Seats  of  Ministers  in  the  Legislature..  105 

XII. 

General  Narvaez.— Ministerial  Profits.— Marquis  of  Pidal.— Asturian 

Nobility.— Sr.  Mon.— Prohibitive  Duties  and  the  Catalans 113 

XIII. 

Sr.  Arrazola.— Bravo  Murillo.— The  Budget.— Ministerial  Movement. 

—The  Senate.— Moderado  Principles.— Bravo  Murillo's  Speech 127 

XIV. 

General  Figueras.— Roca  de  Togores.— Alexandre  Dumas.— Southern 
Oratory.  —  Olozaga.  —  Escosura.  —  Benavides.  —  Donoso  Cortes. — 
Their  Speeches ^^^ 


CONTENTS.  XI 


XV. 


The  Senate —Alcala  Galiano.— The  Cortes  of  1823.— The  Athenaeum. 

— Galiano's  Lectures  there 155 

XVI. 

The  Ex-Regent  Espartero  and  his  Rival,  Narvaez. — The  Carlist  War 
and  its  Conclusion. — Downfall  of  Espartero,  and  its  Causes. — Love 
of  Titles  and  Honors. — Orders  of  Knighthood 164 

XVII. 

Loyalty. — The  Queen. — Guizot  and  Infante. — Regicides. — Necessity  of 
an  able  Prince. — The  Queen's  Embarazo. — Public  Rejoicings  and 
Ceremonial. — Diplomatic  Congratulations  and  Reception. — The 
King 173 


-"&• 


XVIII. 

Social  Customs  in  Madrid. — Entertainments. — Society  and  its  Spirit. — 
Imitation  of  the  French. — The  Academy  and  the  Press. — Socialism. 
— Etiquette. — Social  Frankness  and  Cordiality 184 

XIX. 

Theatres  and  Dramatic  Literature. — Actors  and  their  Style. — Romea 
and  Matilde  Diaz. — Breton  de  los  Ilerreros  and  his  Plays. — Kubi. 
— Isabel  la  Catolica. —  Historical  Dramas. — Theatrical  Police. — 
Literary  Rewards. — Copyright. — Count  of  San  Luis 196 

XX. 

Literature. — Books,  Booksellers,  and  Book-Stalls. — Rook-Hunting  in 
Madrid. — Publishers. — Standard  Works. — Historical  and  Geo- 
graphical Dictionary  of  Madoz. — Cheap  Publications. — Mr.  Tick- 
nor's  History  of  Spanish  Literature. — Its  Character  and  Transla- 
tion.— Gayangos. — Vedia 206 


xii  CONTENTS. 


XXI. 


Quintana— The  Junta  Central.— Quintana's  Political  and  Literary  Life 
and  Works. — Nicasio  Gallego. — His  Political  Career  and  Poems. 
— Debates  on  the  Inquisition. — Clerical  Liberality. — Dos  de  Mayo. 
—Martinez  de  la  Rosa.— His  Political  and  Literary  Life  and 
"Works.— Estatuto  Real 219 

XXII. 

Standing  Armies. — The  Spanish  .\rmy,  its  Condition  and  Political  In- 
fluence.— Immense  Number  of  Generals. — The  Scientific  Corps. — 
Their  Organization  and  Merits.— The  Navy,  its  Improvement  and 
Personnel.— Its  Organization. —The  Cuban  Expeditions.  —  Dis- 
criminating Duties  under  our  Act  of  1 834.— Development  of  .Agri- 
culture and  Internal  Improvements  in  Spain,  in  Consequence. — 
Santander.— Railroads.— The  Canal  of  Castile.— Competition 235 

XXIII. 

Ecclesiastical  System  and  Reforms.— Abolition  of  the  Inquisition.— 
Its  Character.  —  Llorente.  —  Campomanes.  —  Floridablanca  and 
Jovellanos.— The  Monastic  Orders.— Their  Suppression.— Confis- 
cation of  Church  Property. —Reforms  of  the  Church  System.— 
Pay  of  the  Clergy.— Character  of  the  Secular  Clergy.- Clerical 
Influence.— Toleration  in  Spain.— Protestant  Travellers  and  Preju- 
dices— Exaggerations,  &c 249 

XXIV. 

Education.— Statistics.— System  of  Instruction.— Schools.— Universi- 
ties.—Census  of  1803.- University  of  Madrid.— of  AlcaU.— Com- 
plutensian  Polyglot.— Manuscripts.— Prescott's  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella. — Sabau's  Translation  of  it 274 

XXV. 

Taxes  and  Modes  of  Collecting  them,— Reforms  in  Taxation.— The 
Provincial    Deputations   and   Ayuntamientos.— Grievances    and 


•  •  • 


CONTENTS.  xiu 

Abuses. — The  Customs. — Low  Salaries. — Gate  Money. — Tax   on 
Consumption. — National  Debt 284 

XXVI. 

Internal  Improvements. — Agricultural  and  Mineral  Wealth. — Natural 
Obstacles. — Present  Facilities  for  Travel  and  Transportation. — 
Safety  of  the  Koads. — Police. — New  Roads  and  Canals. — Adminis- 
tration of  Roads  and  Canals. — Railroads  projected  and  completed. 
— Railroad  Committee  of  the  Cortes. — Royal  Decree  and  Partici- 
pation of  the  Government  in  the  Management  of  Railroads. — 
Influx  of  Capital,  and  its  Results 295 

XXVII. 

Improvement  in  Agriculture  and  its  Causes. — Improved  Value  of 
Land. — Territorial  Wealth  and  Production. — Practical  Farmers. 
— Espartero. — Agricultural  Education. — Economical  Societies. — 
Agricultural  Bureau  and  its  Action. — Irrigation. — Geological 
Chart. — Colonization  of  Waste  Land. — Irish  Colonists. — Dairy  of 
Madrid. — Advancement  of  Manufactures  and  Commerce. — Pro- 
hibitory Duties. — Exports  and  imports. — Steam  Coasters  and 
Coasting  Trade. — Manufactures. — Catalan  Monopolies. — Manu- 
facturing Resources  of  Spain. — Modifications  of  the  Tariff. — Silk 
and  Woollen  Fabrics. — Flax,  Hemp,  and  Iron. — National  Arsenals 
and  Foundries 309 

XXVIII. 

Fine  Arts. — Galleries. — The  National  Museum  and  its  Treasures. — 
Academy  of  San  Fernando. — Marshal  Soult. — Murillo. — Archi- 
tecture.— Public  Edifices. — Domestic  Architecture. — The  Esco- 
rial.  —  Fountains  of  Madrid.  —  Bronze  Equestrian  Statues. — 
Spanish  .\cademy. — Academy  of  History. — National  Library. — 
The  Armory.— Bull-Fights  of  1850.— Montes,  his  Exploits,  Death 
and  Story 325 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

XXIX. 

Valladolid. — Simancas  and  its  Archives. — Blasco  de  Garay  and  the 
Application  of  Steam  to  Navigation. — His  Invention  a  Fable. — 
Burgos. — Vergara. — Visit  to  Azpeitia. — Valley  of  Loyola. — Jesuit 
College  and  Church. — The  Basques. — Their  Character,  Agriculture, 
and  Institutions. — Tolosa. — Ride  to  Bayonne. — The  Gascon 343 

XXX. 

Conclusion. — Political  Prospects  of  Spain. — Effects  of  Peace. — Espar- 
tero. — The  Moderados. — The  Queen  Mother. — The  Nobility. — 
Monarchy. — Republicanism. — Independence  of  National  Character 
and  Manners.  —  Loyalty.  —  Tendency  to  Federalism.  —  Reasons 
therefor,  and  Probability  of  a  Confederation. — Its  Benefits. — The 
Basque  Fueros. — Effect  of  Internal  Improvements  and  Develop- 
ment of  Industrial  Resources. — Empleomania. — Reasons  for  Amer- 
ican Sympathy  with  Spain. — Justice  due  Her 356 


Postscript 373 


SPAIN. 
I. 

JouKNEY  TO  Madrid. 

IT  was  in  the  beginning  of  December,  1849,  that  I 
approached  the  Pyrenees,  from  Bayonne,  for  the  first 
time.  Had  it  been  a  matter  of  discretion  with  me,  I  should, 
of  course,  have  selected  a  season  for  crossing  them,  in  which 
the  proprieties  of  the  barometer  and  thermometer  would  have 
been  more  likely  to  be  observed.  The  weather,  however,  was 
not  the  only  thing  that  promised  disagreeable  contingencies. 
The  whole  gossip  of  the  hotel  population  in  Bayonne  was 
terrible  with  tales  of  robbery  upon  the  highway  of  the  Spanish 
capital.  My  previous  visit  to  the  Peninsula  had  made  me 
rather  sceptical,  it  is  true,  in  such  matters,  but  now  the  details 
were  so  vivid  and  circumstantial,  that  they  could  hardly  be 
doubted  without  flying  in  the  face  of  all  road-side  probabili- 
ties. A  fat  gentleman,  at  the  table  d'hdte  of  the  H6tel  de 
Commerce,  assured  me, — with  that  air  of  certainty  not  to  be 
questioned  which  belongs  to  age  in  its  combination  with  the 
apoplectic  diathesis, — that  to  his  knowledge  the  diligence  had 
been  robbed  near  Lerma  a  few  days  before.     The  passengers, 

1 


2  SPAIN. 

he  said,  had  been  made  to  lie  shivering  in  the  middle  of  the 
road,  with  their  faces  downwards,  and  with  the  scantiest  possi- 
ble allowance  of  under-clothes,  until  the  thieves  had  made  off 
with  their  outer  garments  and  valuables,  and  the  best  mules 
of  the  team.  "And  so,"  added  the  old  gentleman,  helping 
himself  to  two  cutlets,  "  they  were  many  hours  without  any 
thing  to  eat ! "  It  was  not,  therefore,  without  some  chill 
forebodings,  in  spite  of  myself,  that  I  surrendered  my  fortunes 
to  the  lumbering  vehicle  which  was  to  bear  them.  As  I  looked 
at  my  watch,  to  see  the  time  of  our  departure,  it  was  tenderly 
and  sadly,  I  own,  as  at  the  face  of  an  old  friend,  from  whom 
I  soon  might  part  in  sorrow  and  for  ever.  On  the  12th  of 
December,  nevertheless,  at  four  in  the  morning,  I  awoke  to 
find  my  journey  and  misgivings  of  seventy  hours  triumphantly 
at  an  end.  I  was  at  Madrid,  in  the  huge  hostelry  of  the 
Postas  Peninsulares  on  the  Calle  de  Alcala,  sorely  exercised 
in  mind  and  battered  in  body,  but  none  the  worse  in  estate, 
beyond  the  usual  and  lawful  pillage  of  custom-house  officers, 
landlords,  and  postilions.  Whether  the  presence  of  two  well- 
appointed  guardias  civiles,  who  had  joined  us  some  stages  from 
the  capital,  had  any  thing  to  do  with  our  safety,  I  am  not 
clairvoyant  enough  to  know ;  but  I  made  up  my  mind,  as  I 
advise  all  travellers  in  Spain  to  do,  that  thenceforward  and  for 
ever  no  story  of  highwaymen — though  as  long  and  romantic 
as  the  Chronicle  of  the  Cid,  and  as  authentic  as  the  American 
news  in  Galignani — should  prevent  me  from  pursuing  my 
business  or  pleasure  in  the  Peninsula,  with  a  light  heart  and 
as  heavy  a  purse  as  needful. 

The  greater  part  of  what  attracted  my  attention  on  the 
journey,  I  saw  again,  in  a  brighter  and  more  genial  light,  on 


SPAIN.  3 

my  return.  Only  the  stern  mountain  passes  of  Pancorvo  and 
Somosierra  seemed  to  derive  a  lonelier  and  sublimer  wildness 
from  the  snow  and  leafless  trees,  and  the  congenial,  tempest- 
laden  clouds  above  them.  As  to  the  "  entertainment  for  man  " 
with  which  we  were  favored,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Postas 
Peninsulares  in  whose  diligence  I  travelled,  it  is  a  matter  of 
duty  to  those  who  may  follow  me  to  say,  that  it  was  as  detest- 
able as  can  be  imagined.  The  humblest  ventorrillo  on  the 
Andalusian  hills,  where  I  partook  of  game  and  salad  in  former 
days,  while  the  fleas  took  reprisals  from  me,  was  a  palace 
for  a  Sybarite,  in  comparison  with  some  of  the  paradores 
into  which  we  were  now  compelled  to  burrow.  A  cordon 
of  such  establishments  would  do  more,  I  think,  than  martello 
towers  and  floating  batteries,  to  check  the  march  of  an  invad- 
ing army,  from  any  land  where  creature  comforts  are  prized 
as  they  deserve. 

But  we  were  at  Madrid,  and,  strange  to  note,  in  that 
proverbially  clear,  transparent  atmosphere,  there  hung  over 
the  stately  city  what  a  stout  curate,  who  dismounted  with  us, 
called  una  niehla  del  Demonio, — a  fog  of  the  Devil !  If  I 
had  been  the  author  of  the  Pillars  of  Hercules,  I  should 
have  felt  it  my  duty,  as  a  Scot,  to  maintain,  against  all  dia- 
bolical pretensions  whatever,  that  the  mist  was  a  countryman 
of  mine,  and  that  I  had  seen  its  relations  in  Auld  Reekie. 
As  it  was,  I  followed  the  legal  maxim  of  believing  every  man 
in  his  business,  and,  on  the  faith  of  his  clerical  friend,  gave 
credit  to  the  Demonio  accordingly. 


II. 

Lodging-houses,  Lodging,  and  Life  in  Madrid. — Servants,  &c. 

THE  Arcipreste  de  Hita — upon  the  principle  of  taking 
the  lesser  evil  where  we  have  a  choice — commends  us 
to  the  smallest  women  for  our  loves  and  wives : — 

"  Del  mal,  tomar  lo  menos,  diselo  el  Sabidor, 
Porende  de  las  mugeres  la  menor  es  la  mejor." 

He  will  be  a  wise  man  who  reads  the  principle  backwards, 
and  remembers  that  the  Fonda  de  las  Postas  Peninsulares, 
being  the  largest  tavern  in  Madrid,  is  of  necessity  the  worst. 
It  is  quite  an  imposing  establishment — when  seen  from  the 
street,  I  was  about  to  say ;  but  the  interior  will  impose  upon 
you  quite  as  much,  in  its  way,  if  you  will  give  it  an  oppor- 
tunity. The  edifice  belongs  or  belonged  to  the  Marques  de 
la  Torrecilla,  and  is  adorned,  as  to  its  front,  with  sundry 
blazonries  in  churrigueresque,  which  aptly  symbolize  the 
highly  feudal  character  of  what  you  meet  within.  That  it 
is  considered  quite  a  grand  affair,  and  worthy  of  this  attempt 
to  forewarn  the  unwary  in  regard  to  it,  will  be  seen  by  the 
commendation  which  Madoz  bestows  on  it,  in  his  Diccionario 
Geogrdfico,  Estadistico,  Historico,  a  work  of  really  great  merit, 
which  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  of  hereafter.  "All  its 
apartments,"  says  the  patriotic  Don  Pascual,  "which  are 
4 


SPAIN. 


many  and  good,  enjoy  excellent  light  and  ventilation,  and 
have  just  undergone  notable  improvement,  as  well  in  the 
papering  and  painting  of  the  walls  and  ceilings,  as  in  the 
complete  array  of  furniture  which  adorns  them.  Its  guests 
will  find  the  service  exact,  the  table  choicely  provided,  and 
the  beds  and  linen  exquisitely  neat."  I  should  be  happy  if 
I  had  room  for  the  whole  passage  in  the  original,  if  it  were 
only  to  show,  as  a  philological  curiosity,  how  much  a  beauti- 
ful language  can  make  out  of  a  bad,  dark,  mouldy  caravansera. 
The  fonda,  rhetoric  apart,  is  served  by  Italians,  whose  national 
instincts  are  a  guaranty  against  cleanliness,  as  all  the  world 
knows.  The  ground-floor  is  dedicated  to  the  four-footed 
servants  of  the  company,  which  of  course  secures  to  the  rest 
of  the  mansion  a  liberally  distributed  odor  of  the  stable  and 
a  lively  circulation  of  fleas  and  horse-boys.  The  diligences, 
of  which  it  is  the  great  centre  and  emporium,  arrive  and 
depart  at  all  hours  of  the  night,  especially  at  those  when 
people  with  good  consciences  and  unpacked  trunks  enjoy  their 
sweetest  dreams ; — and  let  not  any  man  with  nerves  delude 
himself  by  thinking  that  the  cup  of  tribulation  has  visited 
his  lips,  till  there  has  risen  on  his  slumbers  that  forty-mule- 
power  chorus  of  shouting,  cursing,  and  whip-cracking,  for 
which  every  departure  or  arrival  is  an  awful  signal.  At  the 
table  d'hote,  which  has  considerable  pretension,  and  which  you 
reach  through  long,  dark  passages,  dreary  to  tread,  I  found 
scarce  any  visitors  but  commis  voyageurs,  who,  to  judge  from 
their  manners  and  conversation,  were,  I  am  sure,  the  worst  of 
the  beasts  not  enumerated  in  the  Apocalypse. 

It  will  be  readily  imagined,  that  such  quarters  were  not 
long  to  be  endured  ;  but,  although  I  speedily  fell  among  kind 


6  SPAIN. 

friends,  who  appreciated  the  sadness  of  my  lot,  and  were  will- 
ing to  liberate  me  if  they  could,  Madrid  is  not  a  place  where 
a  man  may  find  pleasant  lodging-houses  as  readily  as  the 
illustrious  Manchegan  fell  upon  adventures.  "No  es  este 
ramo  en  el  que  mas  sobresale  Madrid,"  candidly  confesses 
Mellado,  in  his  "  Traveller's  Guide," — the  tavern  department 
is  not  that  in  which  Madrid  chiefly  excels !  The  Spaniards 
themselves,  who  are  exceedingly  simple  in  their  habits,  and 
can  get  comfortably  through  the  coldest  winter  by  a  dexterous 
combination  of  the  brasero,  the  cloak,  and  the  sunshine,  will 
cheerfully  stow  themselves  away,  wherever  there  is  a  mat  on 
the  tiled  floor,  and  a  large  window  to  let  in  the  rays.  A  few 
chairs  and  a  writing-table,  with  an  alcove,  and  a  plain  but 
tidy  bed,  are  "  lo  que  hay  que  desear" — all  that  a  man  could 
wish  for  lodging.  For  diet, — be  it  good  taste  or  bad, — they 
are  well  content  with  the  national  puchero,  more  or  less 
refined, — thinking,  with  Governor  Panza,  that,  "  in  the  diver- 
sity of  things  whereof  the  said  ollas  are  composed,  a  man 
cannot  help  stumbling  upon  something  that  will  please  him 
and  do  him  good."  Nor  is  that  dish  altogether  unworthy 
the  great  Sancho's  praise,  which  may  be  expanded,  if  you 
will,  into  a  compendium  of  natural  history  and  botany,  or 
be  decent  and  respectable  with  only  bacon  and  garbanzos. 
Entertainment  of  this  sort  is  cheap  and  easy  to  find.  You 
have  but  to  look  at  the  newspapers,  or  cast  a  glance  at  the 
intelligence-office  which  is  wafered  up,  in  manuscript,  on  the 
back  wall  of  the  post-office  building,  and  you  will  find  para- 
dises of  the  kind  tempting  you  by  the  score.  "No  hay 
ninos," — there  are  no  children  about  the  house, — say  some  of 
them ;  and  with  such  a  recommendation,  and  balconies  on  the 
sunny  side,  what  more  in  reason  could  you  crave  ? 


SPAIN.  7 

Alas !  reason,  like  most  elementary  substances,  is  rarely  to 
be  found  in  a  pure  state.  Custom,  somehow  or  other,  man- 
ages to  keep  up  a  sort  of  chemical  combination  with  it. 
People  will  wear  boots  and  shoes,  if  they  can  get  them,  not- 
withstanding the  "annoyance  and  vexation,  astonishment  and 
surprise,"  with  which  Mr.  Urquhart  regards  so  abnormal  a 
condition  of  the  extremities.  Travellers  who  have  become 
viciously  accustomed  to  fires  and  carpets  in  cold  weather,  and 
are  not  prepared  to  appreciate  a  mixture  of  the  entire  animal 
and  vegetable  kingdoms,  in  one  pot,  for  dinner,  will  seek  to 
accommodate  their,  prejudices,  though  ever  so  unreasonable. 
I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  they  are  right,  and  Spaniards 
wrong;  for  Adam's  unsophisticated  palate  might  perhaps 
have  found  in  turtle-soup  and  path  de  foie  gras  much  less 
of  the  eternal  fitness,  than  in  the  wildest  gazpacho  that 
Iberian  peasant  ever  supped.  I  only  suggest  it  as  a  fact, 
that  tastes  differ. 

Until  late  years,  the  number  of  foreigners  visiting  Madrid 
would  hardly  have  justified  any  extensive  or  costly  prepara- 
tion for  their  special  entertainment.  Even  now  they  are  so 
few,  in  comparison  with  the  throngs  which  fill  the  other 
capitals  of  Europe,  that  it  would  be  altogether  unreasonable 
for  them  to  expect  such  a  reception  as  elsewhere  is  afforded 
them.  Indeed,  in  Spain  itself  I  found  no  city,  among  those 
I  visited  upon  the  coast  or  near  it,  which  was  not  greatly  in 
advance  of  Madrid,  in  the  particular  referred  to.  Barcelona, 
Cadiz,  Seville,  and  especially  Malaga,  were  beyond  comparison 
better  provided.  Nevertheless,  with  a  little  patience  and  the 
aid  of  a  friend's  experience,  one  may  still  be  comfortable  in 
Madrid, — nay,  and  have  luxury  too,  if  he  be  willing  to  pay 


8  SPAIN. 

for  it.  At  the  table  d'hdte  of  the  Vizcaina,  in  the  magnificent 
house  of  Cordero,  which  occupies  the  site  of  the  once  famous 
convent  of  San  Felipe  el  Real,  on  the  Calle  Mayor,  there 
may  be  found  excellent  society  for  those  who  speak  French 
or  Spanish,  and  a  modified  nationality  of  diet  which  has 
carried  comfort  to  the  bosom  of  many  a  wayfarer.  Of 
restaurants,  there  are  of  course  many,  some  of  them  indiffer- 
ent, but  the  greater  part  very  bad.  The  cafe  of  L'Hardi, 
immortalized  by  Dumas  for  its  " nourriture  honorable"  still 
nourishes  as  honorably  as  in  the  days  of  the  royal  nuptials, 
and  the  Fonda  de  San  Luis,  in  the  Calle  de  la  Montera,  may 
almost  be  said  to  herald  the  day  when,  as  in  the  land  of  its 
saintly  patron,  cookery  will  be  a  fine  art  and  keep  a  Muse 
of  its  own  ! 

Quiet  people,  who  propose  residing  at  Madrid  for  any 
length  of  time,  and  prefer  having  things  more  under  their 
control  than  the  restaurant  or  the  table  d'hdte  will  allow,  may 
do  so  satisfactorily  now,  without  much  trouble.  Excellent 
apartments,  with  comfortable  fire-places  and  all  other  desira- 
ble appointments,  are  beginning  to  be  offered  for  rent  in  the 
most  agreeable  and  convenient  quarters  of  the  city.  With  a 
good  servant,  commanded  at  his  peril  to  overlook  the  house- 
hold and  keep  vigils  over  your  flesh-pots  as  a  knight  over 
his  virgin  armor,  you  may  live  and  prosper,  at  one  of  these 
establishments,  as  well  as  a  man  need  hope  to  do  away  from 
home.  My  first  experience  was  at  the  corner  of  the  Calle 
Mayor  and  the  Calle  del  Correo,  with  a  range  of  five  bal- 
conies looking  upon  the  Puerta  del  Sol,  and  in  the  very  heart 
of  all  that  was  lively  and  bright  to  be  heard  and  seen.  Not 
a  pageant  but  passed  that  way, — not  a  gallant  regiment  that 


SPAIN.  9 

went  to  post  or  to  parade,  but  favored  rae  with  the  sound  of 
its  trumpets  and  the  glitter  of  its  arras.  Work  and  sleep, 
however,  are  sometimes  as  needful  as  hearing  and  seeing,  and 
in  such  a  locality  I  found  it  somewhat  difficult  to  pay  proper 
attention  to  either.  The  noises  of  the  day  were  by  no  means 
careful  to  close  their  accounts  at  midnight,  and  it  was  pain- 
fully early,  indeed,  when  the  bells  of  the  goats  and  the  clatter 
of  the  milk-vendors  in  the  street  below  me  would  begin  to 
insist  that  it  was  morning.  There  were  other  good  reasons 
too  for  change,  more  potent  than  even  distraction  and  unrest. 
In  the  sketches  of  my  former  experience  in  Spain,  I  endeavored 
to  contribute  something  towards  removing  the  popular  preju- 
dice that  the  garlic-crop  is  the  chief  staple  of  the  Peninsula. 
I  even  went  so  far  as  to  say,  that  the  esculent  in  question  had 
never  once  crossed  my  own  particular  path,  during  a  three 
months'  excursion  of  no  very  limited  range.  In  sack-cloth 
and  ashes  I  must  now  confess,  that,  having  gone  farther,  I 
fared  worse ;  and  that,  although  my  original  observation  was 
correct,  so  far  as  the  customs  of  the  better  classes  are  con- 
cerned and  the  general  experience  of  a  traveller  who  frequents 
the  best  inns  in  the  best  towns,  there  is,  nevertheless,  garlic  to 
be  found  within  even  the  sacred  precincts  of  the  court !  The 
amiable  Dolores,  in  whose  balconies  I  gloried,  did  vow  and 
plight  her  Andalusian  faith  that  she  despised  the  aromatic 
poison,  and  would  not  suffer  it  to  pass  her  threshold;  but 
there  are  certain  of  the  senses  which  sometimes  overpower 
even  faith,  and  I  shall  ever  believe  that,  had  Dolores  been 
Pandora,  tocino  y  ajo,  bacon  and  garlic,  would  have  been 
found  at  tiie  bottom  of  her  box.  I  changed  my  quarters 
accordingly  to  No.  1  of  the  Calle  de  Pontejos,  in  the  same 
2 


10  SPAIN. 

vast  building,  and  there,  on  the  first  floor,  fronting  on  a  quiet 
street,  with  all  the  sunshine  that  I  needed,  excellent  apart- 
ments, a  good  landlord,  and  a  most  desirable  location,  I  spent 
a  pleasant  winter  and  some  portion  of  a  bright  and  cheerful 
spring.  If  Don  Jose,  the  prendero  of  the  Calle  del  Correo, 
should  be  living  when  the  reader  arrives  at  Madrid,  let  him 
be  sent  for  straightways,  and  if  there  be  room  in  his  house 
let  the  reader  install  himself  at  once,  and  ask  questions  after- 
wards, if  he  has  a  mind. 

There  is  no  lack  of  good  servants,  or  at  all  events  of  good 
material  for  servants,  anywhere  in  Spain.  Honesty,  fidelity, 
and  that  best  of  courtesies  which  springs  from  self-respect  and 
gives  dignity  to  the  humblest  station,  are  characteristics  which 
mark  them,  as  a  class,  to  an  extent  of  which  I  believe  no  other 
country  furnishes  an  example.  As  a  consequence, — perhaps, 
in  some  degree,  a  cause, — in  no  country  is  the  relation  of 
servants  and  their  employers  made  so  agreeable  by  respect- 
ful and  affectionate  familiarity.  This  remark  applies  to  all 
ranks,  without  exception,  and  there  is  something  in  the 
innate  and  peculiar  politeness  and  high  tone  belonging  to 
the  national  character,  among  even  the  humblest  and  least 
educated,  which  prevents  the  usual  ill  effects  of  that  sort  of 
freedom  elsewhere. 

Madrid  is  too  much  of  a  capital  to  be  without  the  proper 
supply  of  thieving  valets.  Intriguing  masters  are  abundant, 
and  "like  master,  like  man."  Nevertheless,  good  servants 
may  be  found  there  readily,  and  at  moderate  wages,  provided 
the  traveller  be  able  to  speak  to  them  in  their  own  language. 
Those  who  possess  any  familiarity  with  foreign  tongues  are 
very  few,  and  of  course  command  higher  salaries.     Of  Eng- 


SPAIN.  11 

lish  scarce  any  of  them  know  any  thing.  Out  of  Madrid 
and  the  commercial  cities,  it  is  extremely  difficult,  indeed,  to 
find  attendants  whose  acquirements  go  beyond  the  Castilian 
and  their  native  dialect,  and  this  must  be  added  to  the 
thousand  other  reasons  which  continually  thrust  themselves 
upon  a  traveller  of  any  intelligence,  to  convince  him,  that, 
without  at  least  a  fair  acquaintance  with  the  language  of  the 
country,  it  is  utterly  impossible  for  any  one  to  visit  it,  with 
any  prospect  of  comprehending  or  enjoying  it,  except  in  the 
most  superficial  and  unsatisfactory  manner.  I  am  more  firmly 
impressed  than  ever,  since  my  second  visit  to  Spain,  with  the 
conviction  that  ignorance  in  this  particular  is  the  chief  source 
of  the  thousand  ridiculous  and  romantic  misrepresentations,  of 
which  that  country  has  been  made  the  victim,  more  frequently 
than  any  other ;  and  upon  which  foreign — especially  English 
and  American — opinion  in  regard  to  her  customs  and  laws, 
her  morals  and  religion,  is  so  largely  and  erroneously  founded. 
"  What  say  you,  then,"  says  Nerissa,  "  to  Faulconbridge,  the 
young  baron  of  England?"  "You  know,"  replies  Portia, 
"  I  say  nothing  to  him,  for  he  understands  not  me,  nor  I 
him ;  he  hath  neither  Latin,  French,  nor  Italian ;  and  you 
will  come  into  the  court  and  swear  that  I  have  a  poor  penny- 
worth in  the  English."  To  this  passage  the  learned  Warburton, 
with  characteristic  acuteness,  appends  a  note,  informing  us  that 
it  is  "a  satire  on  the  ignorance  of  young  English  travellers  in 
our  author's  time."  Alas !  Shakspeare  wrote  for  all  times, 
and  there  are  Faulconbridges  who  never  saw  England  ! 


III. 

Foundation,  Locality,  Clijiate,  Dkess,  Health,  &c.  of  Madrid. 

IT  is  not  easy  to  fathom  the  reasons  of  kings  or  women, — 
at  least  so  says  an  ancient,  if  not  wise,  saw.  To  express 
any  opinion  upon  the  latter  branch  of  the  subject  would  be 
altogether  extrajudicial  and  unnecessary  here ;  but  the  selec- 
tion, or  rather  the  creation,  of  Madrid  as  the  capital  of  Spain, 
may  be  taken  as  a  fair  argument  to  support  the  anti-royal 
phase  of  the  proverb.  Some  say  that  Charles  the  Fifth  laid 
the  foundation  of  its  greatness,  from  a  fondness  he  contracted 
for  it  during  a  residence  which  cured  him  of  the  ague.  If 
so,  posterity  has  certainly  paid  dear  for  what  would  now  be 
accomplished,  probably,  by  a  three  days'  course  of  quinine. 
Philip  the  Second,  whose  exquisite  taste  in  such  matters  is 
further  exemplified  by  the  charming  site  of  the  Escorial, 
inherited,  it  is  likely,  the  imperial  liver  and  predilections,  for 
he  fixed  his  court  at  Madrid,  in  1560.  Forty  years  later, 
Philip  the  Third  translated  the  royal  residence  to  Valladolid, 
but  weighty  interests  and  influences  were  so  wielded  as  to 
compel  his  return  after  a  five  years'  absence.  From  that 
time  to  the  present  Madrid  has  been,  emphatically,  la  Corte, 
the  Court,  and  nothing  else.  For  its  elevation  to  that  dignity 
there  is  not,  nor  has  there  ever  been  given,  that  I  am  aware, 
12 


SPAIN.  13 

one  plausible  reason,  except  that  its  position  is,  to  a  certain 
degree,  central.  Undoubtedly  this  would  be  the  best  of 
reasons,  if  the  centrality  were  any  thing  but  a  matter  of 
measurement, — if  the  location,  in  reference  to  industry,  com- 
merce, or  agriculture,  exercised  any  centripetal  or  other  favor- 
able influence  whatever.  The  top  of  a  mountain  in  the  midst 
of  a  fertile  plain  would  be  eminently  central,  and  the  Grand 
Lama  might  like  it  for  a  sacred  residence ;  yet  it  would  be  an 
up-hill  sort  of  business,  to  prove  that  it  ought  to  be  chosen, 
for  its  centrality,  as  the  site  of  a  metropolis. 

Madrid  has  no  commerce,  nor  the  means  of  any.  Its 
inhabitants  must  eat  and  wear  clothing,  and  the  materials 
therefor  must  pass  the  'walls,  within  which  they  must  set  in 
motion,  well  or  ill,  certain  departments  of  necessary  industry. 
Beyond  this,  no  trade  enters  or  abides,  and  there  is  none  at 
all  that  passes  out.  The  Manzanares,  which  trickles  by  the 
city,  has  scarce  water  enough  to  furnish  even  a  court  poet 
with  materials  for  any  thing  exceeding  the  limits  of  an  epi- 
gram. The  surrounding  country  is  barren  and  arid,  sparsely 
populated,  and  without  attraction  of  any  sort ;  so  that,  on 
the  whole,  whatever  there  is  in  Madrid  of  population,  wealth, 
industry,  or  power  is  altogether  factitious.  It  is  the  capital, 
because  it  was  made  so,  and  it  is  only  populous,  wealthy, 
industrious,  or  powerful,  because  it  is  the  capital.  If  it  be 
four  thousand  and  nineteen  years  old,  as  we  have  the  official 
authority  of  the  Guia  de  Forasteros  of  1850  for  saying,  we 
must  admit  that  few  places  have  profited  as  little  by  age ;  and 
if  all  the  Chaldeans  and  PhoGuiciaus,  Hebrews,  Greeks,  and 
Romans,  whom  the  antiquaries  suppose  to  have  busied  them- 
selves with  its  name,  gave  half  as  much  attention  to  its  edu- 


14  SPAIN. 

cation,  it  has  certainly  a  sad  account  to  settle  for  neglected 
opportunities.  The  advantages  which  it  has  enjoyed,  within 
the  range  of  authentic  chronology,  would  have  made  of  fair 
Seville  an  imperial  city  such  as  Europe  scarcely  knows,  or 
have  built  up  again  at  Cordova  the  magnificence  of  Abder- 
rahman's  proudest  day. 

I  have  said,  that  when  we  entered  Madrid  it  was  enveloped 
in  a  thick  fog.  This  was  considered  extraordinary,  and  espe- 
cially so  because  it  lasted  about  a  week,  during  which  one 
might  have  imagined  himself  in  London,  but  for  the  fact  that 
the  Madrid  mists  appeared  to  be  legitimately  derived  from 
pure  water;  whereas  the  corresponding  commodity  in  the 
British  capital  has,  to  an  unfamiliar  eye,  the  appearance  and 
density  of  highly  vaporized  molasses.  Whatever  defects  there 
may  be  in  the  winter  atmosphere  of  Madrid,  humidity  and 
obscurity  form  generally  no  part  of  them.  I  have  nowhere 
seen,  except  in  the  United  States,  and  there  only  during  the 
prevalence  of  the  coldest  winds  from  the  northwest,  any  thing 
to  equal  the  pervading  clearness  and  splendor  of  the  Madrid 
sky,  and  the  transparency  of  its  air.  As  a  general  thing,  it 
lacks,  like  ours,  the  soft  and  genial  tints  of  the  Italian 
heavens,  yet  often,  when  the  sun  was  going  down,  I  have 
stood  in  the  gay  avenues  of  the  Retiro,  or  on  the  high 
grounds  near  the  gate  of  Alcala,  and  have  seen  the  many 
cross-crowned  spires  and  towers  of  the  city  bathed  in  a  light 
so  golden,  with  a  background  of  such  deep  and  various  purple, 
roseate,  and  crimson,  that  I  have  almost  doubted  whether  even 
Naples  could  boast  of  any  thing  more  gorgeous. 

It  would  be  well  if  as  much  could  be  said  in  favor  of  the 
climate  as  of  the  sky.     When  Spain  is  spoken  of  with  us, 


SPAIN.  15 

most  people,  without  any  particular  reflection,  have  an  idea 
immediately  presented  to  them  of  a  far  southern  country,  with 
clustering  vines  and  perfumed  orange-groves.  I  was  frequently 
congratulated,  before  I  left  home,  upon  the  delightful  oppor- 
tunity I  should  have  of  spending  my  winter  in  so  mild  a 
climate  as  that  of  Madrid.     A  pleasant  fancy,  truly  ! 

The  Spanish  capital  is  in  a  latitude  two  degrees  or  there- 
abouts higher  than  that  of  Washington,  and  stands  upon  the 
Platform  of  Castile,  at  an  elevation  (Madoz  tells  us)  of  two 
thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  sea.  The 
rarity  of  the  atmosphere  produced  by  this  latter  cause  would 
be  quite  sufficient  of  itself,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  to 
make  new,  if  not  unpleasant,  impressions  upon  unfamiliar 
lungs  and  nerves.  I  thought — though  it  may  have  been 
fancy — that  at  all  times  I  perceived  a  tenuity  and  pungency 
about  it  to  which  I  was  unaccustomed.  But  this  is  not  the 
worst  by  a  great  deal.  From  any  unobstructed  point  of  view 
within  the  city  or  about  it,  you  notice  that  the  horizon  towards 
the  north  and  west  is  encircled  by  the  high  and  snowy  moun- 
tains of  Somosierra  and  Guadarrama.  To  the  blasts  which 
roll  down  from  these  latter  hills,  and  even  more  to  the  still 
and  subtile  influence  of  their  cold  proximity,  is  the  fatal 
insalubrity  of  the  situation  to  be  chiefly  traced.  When  the 
wind  blows  from  that  quarter,  every  one  is  in  terror,  and  no 
man  is  deemed  prudent  who  ventures  into  the  street  without 
covering  his  chest  and  throat,  and  especially  his  mouth,  with 
the  embozo  of  his  cloak.  You  may  walk  for  squares  without 
seeing  any  more  of  the  human  face  divine,  than  a  sort  of 
zone,  bounded  on  the  north  at  the  eyebrows  by  a  hat-brim, 
and  on  the  south  by  a  horizontal  strip  of  velvet  cloak-facing, 


16  SPAIN. 

running  perpendicular  to  the  bridge  of  the  nose.    I  very  early 
satisfied  myself — whether  justly  or  not  I  will  not  dogmatically 
say — that  the  frequent  pulmonias  (or  pneumonias),  which  were 
so  fatal  at  such  times,  might  be  the  result,  in  a  great  measure, 
of  this  practice,  by  means  of  which  the  lungs  were  accustomed 
only  to  the  obstructed  inhalation  of  warm  air,  and  rendered 
sensible,  in  a  tenfold  degree,  to  any  accidental  or  necessary 
exposure.     That,  without  any  particular  robustness  of  health, 
and  certainly  without  having  especially  avoided  opening  my 
mouth  in  any  wind  or  weather,  I  am  now  alive  and  story- 
telling, may  go,  as  a  fact,  for  what  it  is  worth,  to  sustain  my 
notion.     Fashion,  I  think,  is  fast  working  a  practical  revolu- 
tion in  the  habits  of  the  people  on  this  point,  which  could  not 
be  produced,  one  might  safely  swear,  by  a  century  of  mere 
medical  disquisition  or  other  manner  of  preaching.     Cloaks 
are  going  rapidly  out  of  vogue,  and  the  beau  monde  generally 
have  handed  themselves  over  to  the  uudraped  dominion  of 
the  French  overcoat.     On  windy  days,  when  the  pulmonia  is 
supposed  to  be  whistling  around  every  corner  and  dancing 
in  the  deserted  plazas,  the  more  daringly  elegant  attempt  a 
compromise  between  their  love  of  Paris  and  their  fear  of 
death,  by  the  use  of  a  large,  separate  fur  collar,  covering  the 
whole  neck  and  jaws,  and  giving  a  most  top-heavy  and  ludi- 
crous appearance  to  the  scanty  and  skirt-denied  paletot.    Here 
and  there,  one  of  fashion's  most  reckless  desperadoes  may  be 
seen  without  even  this  bungling  and  ungraceful  protection,  so 
that  I  think  the  days  of  the  embozo's  popularity  as  a  life-pre- 
server may  be  fairly  said  to  be  numbered.     Unless,  however, 
the  police  of  the  city  be  improved  in  sundry  unsavory  particu- 
lars, to  which  every  traveller's  reminiscences  will  point  him  at 


SPAIN.  17 

once,  the  popularity  of  the  embozo  may  still  be  prolonged,  by 
transferring  its  protecting  folds  from  the  mouth,  which  needs 
them  not,  to  the  nose,  which  needs  them  greatly. 

But  it  is  the  still,  small  voice  from  the  mountains,  and  not 
the  loud  breath  of  the  tempest,  which  bears  the  fatal  message 
oftenest.  Bright  and  apparently  bland  as  the  weather  may 
be,  during  the  winter  or  the  spring,  you  have  but  to  remove 
yourself  for  a  moment  from  the  direct  influence  of  the  sun's 
rays,  to  experience  the  most  marked  and  unwholesome  differ- 
ence of  temperature.  Sunshine  and  shade,  town  and  country, 
day  and  night,  seem  to  belong,  severally,  to  different  climates. 
The  clothing  which  oppresses  you  on  your  way  to  the  Prado, 
an  hour  before  sunset,  is  too  light  for  comfort  when  you 
return  in  the  dusk ;  and  as  you  enter  the  sheltered  portal  of 
one  of  the  huge  houses  which  are  now  so  numerous,  you 
long,  at  midday,  for  the  cloak  which  would  have  nearly 
stifled  you  upon  the  street. 

Almost  every  one  has  heard  of  the  proverb,  which  says 
that  "  the  air  of  Madrid  will  kill  a  man,  but  not  put  out  a 
candle."  Many  of  the  Madrilenos  think  that  there  is  some- 
thing in  the  composition  of  their  atmosphere,  independently 
of  its  rarity  and  temperature,  which  entitles  it  to  this  bad 
name;  but  the  same  reproach,  it  strikes  me,  would  apply, 
with  greater  or  less  force,  to  the  air  of  any  city  so  closely 
fenced  about  by  snowy  mountains.  I  remember  to  have 
noticed  precisely  the  same  characteristics — to  a  diminished 
degree,  perhaps — in  the  climate  of  Florence.  It  was  like  a 
voyage  from  Indus  to  the  Pole,  to  pass  from  the  glowing 
sunshine  of  the  early  spring,  upon  the  Cascine  or  the  Lungo 
I'Arno,  to  the  cold,  still,  collapsing  influence  of  the  narrow, 
3 


18  SPAIN. 

unsunned  streets.  No  doubt  the  memories  of  older  and  better 
travellers  will  shiver  over  similar  experiences.  But  whether 
Madrid  be  peculiar  or  not  in  the  quality  of  its  air,  there  can 
be  no  doubt  about  the  insalubrity  of  its  climate.  The  young 
die  very  young,  and  numerously ;  the  vigorous  years  of  life 
are  in  great  peril,  always,  from  every  variety  of  inflammatory 
disease ;  and  age  comes  on  with  rapid  pace,  and  many  ills,  to 
the  most  of  those  who  linger.  Nervous  disorders  are  a  staple 
commodity.  Apoplexies  were  of  more  frequent  occurrence,  it 
seemed  to  me,  than  in  any  bills  of  mortality  I  had  ever  seen. 
Even  when  the  thermometer  indicated  but  a  moderate  winter 
temperature, — the  freezing  point  or  thereabouts, — there  was 
something  so  penetrating  in  the  air, — so  searching  within 
doors  and  without, — that  it  seemed  far  colder  than  a  tempera- 
ture many  degrees  lower  anywhere  else.  The  pulmonia  then 
walked  alike  at  noonday  and  in  darkness  ;  nor  were  its  arrows 
aimed  at  humanity  alone.  The  horse-guards  at  the  palace, 
whose  fine  appointments  and  gallant  chargers  attracted  so 
much  attention,  were  dispensed  with  in  midwinter, — their 
horses  dying  almost  nightly  from  this  terrible  and  rapid 
scourge.  Late  in  the  spring,  when  I  visited  the  royal  stables, 
a  beautiful  stallion  was  shivering  with  the  death-agony,  and 
they  told  me  his  disease  was  pulmonia. 

If  I  am  asked  how  it  is  possible  that  king,  minister,  and 
noble  can  so  far  overcome  the  inborn  mortal  dread  of  dissolu- 
tion, as  to  live  thus  ever  in  the  valley  of  its  shadow,  I  do 
not  know  that  I  can  give  a  more  satisfactory  reply  than  the 
stereotyped  Spanish  extinguisher  upon  impertinent  or  incon- 
venient curiosity, —  Quien  sabef  Who  knows?  In  the  superb 
apartments  of  one  of  the  most  luxurious  palaces  of  Europe, — 


SPAIN.  19 

surrounded  by  every  guard  and  fence  which  human  skill  and 
care  can  build  up  against  fleshly  ills, — it  is  perhaps  not  diffi- 
cult to  understand  how  royalty  can  bring  itself  to  bear  the 
risks,  of  which  it  knows  and  feels  comparatively  little.  While 
winter  is  still  lingering  in  Madrid,  their  Majesties  can  seek 
the  early  fragrance  of  an  almost  Audalusian  spring,  among 
the  groves  and  fountains  of  beautiful  Araujuez.  When  sum- 
mer burns  the  blood  of  all  sojourners  in  the  capital,  their 
Majesties  find  health  and  vigor  in  the  mountain  freshness  of 
La  Granja.  To  those  who  have  not  such  resources,  the 
honors  and  profits  of  their  several  pursuits  supply  some 
compensation,  I  suppose,  for  perils  such  as  they  encounter. 
"  Where  the  king  is,"  says  the  Castilian  proverb,  "  there  is 
the  court."  Where  there  is  grain  to  be  trodden  out,  and  in  a 
somewhat  unmuzzled  manner  besides,  the  oxen  are  apt  to 
congregate.  So  long  as  Madrid  shall  be  the  fountain  and 
reservoir  of  favor,  the  pulmomas  fulminantes  will  thunder  in 
vain,  as  they  have  thundered  long,  to  keep  the  thirsty  from 
going  up  to  drink.  And  who  can  think  it  strange?  A 
residence  in  Paris  will  extinguish  a  race  in  three  generations, 
and  yet  numberless  families  go  there  and  become  extinct. 
Half  a  generation  will  usually  answer  the  same  purpose, 
quite  as  effectually,  among  the  golden  Golgothas  of  California, 
and  yet  we  have  not  heard,  for  all  that,  that  the  Golgothas 
are  lacking  skulls  ! 


lY. 


PUERTA  DEL  SOL. — PUBLIC  HabITS  OF  THE  MADBILESfOS. — The  PrADO. 

— Equipages. — Horsemen. — Atocha  Waek. — Women  of  Madrid. 

WHOSOEVER  desires  to  know  any  thing  of  Madrid, 
or  the  people  that  live  in  it,  must  make  himself 
acquainted,  at  once,  with  La  Puerta  del  Sol, — the  Gate  of  the 
Sun.  It  is  not  worth  while  to  be  at  all  mythological  on  the 
subject,  for  the  Puerta  is  itself  no  gate,  nor  has  it  any  appur- 
tenance whatever  to  remind  you  of  Aurora's  rosy  fingers.  It 
is  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  central,  open  plaza, — not  very 
large  nor  elegant, — into  which  nine  or  ten  of  the  chief  streets 
discharge  their  crowds.  A  congress  of  cab-horses  are  the 
only  representatives  of  Apollo's  radiant  steeds,  and  the  beauti- 
ful Hours  have  for  their  sole  abiding-place  the  dial  of  a  large 
clock,  in  the  church  front  of  Nuestra  Sefiora  del  Buen  Suceso. 
The  graceless,  though  fashionable,  temple  to  which  the  clock 
belongs,  and  the  tall,  stilted  fa9ade  of  the  Casa  de  Correos, 
are  the  only  and  poor  substitutes  for  the  '^ flammantia  mcenia 
mundi."  The  sun,  however, — out  of  gratitude,  I  suppose, 
for  the  complimentary  use  of  his  name, — shines  with  peculiar 
good-will  upon  his  Puerta,  and  there  is  no  knowing  the  amount 
of  fire-wood,  or  rather  of  charcoal,  which  is  thus  saved  to  the 
gossips  of  Madrid.  The  Prado,  though  a  beautiful  and  genial 
20 


SPAIN.  21 

walk,  is  too  far  out  of  town  for  lounging  or  midday  access, 
and  too  extensive  for  that  cosy  contact  which  your  genuine 
tattler  loves.     The  Plaza  de  Oriente,  down  by  the  palace,  is 
also  too  far  from  the  centre,  and  receives,  besides,  in  rather 
too  direct  a  manner,  the  breezes  from  the  Guadarrama  Moun- 
tains, whose  grand  white  summits  furnish  it  with  so  superb  a 
prospect.      But  the  Puerta  del  Sol  is  as  accessible  as  it  is 
warm,  and  no  true  Madrilcfio  can  he  be,  who  does  not  bask 
away,  within  its  teeming  precincts,  the  largest  portion  of  his 
daylight  life.     Even  when  the  sun  has  gone  down,  and  there 
is  no  moon  to  take  up  the  wondrous  tales  which  are  always 
being  told  there,  the  tall  gas-lamp,  in  the  centre  of  the  plaza, 
holds  a  cloak-wrapped   court  of  its  own;   so  that  to  have 
passed  through  the  Puerta  del  Sol  when  there  was  no  one 
about  it  to  speak  or  to  listen,  a  man  must  have  kept  later 
hours  than  her  Majesty's  watchmen,  and  more  faithful  vigils, 
by  far.     There  must,  of  necessity,  be  a  great  deal  of  gossip  in 
every  capital,  where  there  is  nothing  to  do  but  to  govern,  to 
intrigue,  and  be  amused.     Madrid  being  of  that  class  of  capi- 
tals, preeminently,  is  as  full  of  scandal  as  the  sewing  society  of 
a  village  in  a  highly  moral  neighborhood.     The  Puerta  is  the 
gi-eat  condenser  of  all  its  small-talk, — its  mentidero  general,  or 
general  lie-factory, — and  cannot,  with  such  functions,  afford 
to  be,  for  many  moments,  empty  or  disengaged. 

I  have  taken  other  occasion  to  touch  upon  the  fondness  of 
the  Spaniards  for  out-door  life.  Madrid  exhibits  this,  as  it 
does  the  most  of  their  peculiarities,  in  a  very  extreme  point  of 
view.  The  inhabitants — the  gente  fina,  at  all  events — are  no 
very  early  risers.  It  lacks  but  little  of  noon  when  the  most 
of  them  have  broken  their  fast  and  are  ready  for  their  daily 


22  SPAIN. 

occupations,  if  they  have  any.  If  you  call  familiarly  upon  a 
gentleman,  about  twelve,  it  is  probable  his  servant  will  tell 
you, — not  that  he  has  gone  to  his  business,  or  indeed  any- 
where in  particular, — but  that  "  ha  ido  su  merced  d  la  calle" — 
his  worship  has  gone  into  the  street !  The  particularity  of 
this  information  reminds  you,  at  first,  of  the  testamentary 
liberality  of  the  Irish  gentleman,  who  left  his  son  a  million, 
and  the  wide  world  to  make  it  in,  but  a  short  experience 
teaches  you  that  it  is  little  less  than  a  specific  direction  to  the 
Puerta  del  Sol.  There,  from  an  early  hour,  laborers  in 
search  of  hire  have  been  watching  for  customers, — venders  of 
all  manner  of  pet  dogs  and  small  wares  have  been  clattering 
and  chaflPering, — newsmen  have  been  crying  their  tidings,  and 
selling  to  all  who  have  been  fools  enough  to  buy.  There, 
too,  there  are  a  hundred  chances  to  one  that  you  find  your 
friend,  in  the  midst  of  a  group,  at  the  foot  of  the  Calle  de  la 
Montera,  puffing  with  enthusiastic  energy  at  his  cigar,  while 
he  devours,  or  pours  into  ears  as  greedy  as  his  own,  the  last 
rumors  of  a  ministerial  catastrophe  or  the  freshest  develop- 
ments of  social  transgression.  The  length  of  time  that  he 
will  pass  where  you  find  him  will  depend  entirely  upon  the 
amount  of  gossip  to  be  had.  His  daily  labors,  be  they  what 
they  may,  and  especially  if  he  be  an  empleado, — a  placeman, — 
as  almost  every  body  is,  are  matters  of  but  little  concern,  and 
indefinite  susceptibility  of  postponement.  As,  however,  the 
Puerta  is  not  precisely  fashionable  until  somewhat  later  in 
the  afternoon,  it  is  probable  he  will  proceed,  after  a  moderate 
instalment  of  discourse,  to  refresh  the  place  of  his  business 
with  the  light  of  his  countenance.  How  much  of  his  time, 
if  he  be  in  a  public  office,  will  be  spent  in  lighting  and 


SPAIN.  23 

relighting  his  accustomed  succession  of  cigarritos,  and  increas- 
ing his  own  and  the  official  stock  of  exciting  information,  the 
initiated  can  tell,  and  may,  if  they  choose.  Not  many  hours, 
however,  will  have  elapsed,  before  the  foot  of  the  Montera 
shall  see  him  again,  in  the  midst  of  still  shorter  paletots  and 
yellower  gloves  than  those  that  were  visible  in  the  less  conse- 
crated moments  of  his  morning  visit. 

As  the  time  for  the  parade  upon  the  Prado  comes  on, — an 
hour  at  least  before  the  setting  of  the  sun,  when  the  weather 
is  moderate  enough  to  permit  it, — the  Puerta  del  Sol  begins 
to  give  up  its  gayest  and  most  gallant  loungers.  The  church 
of  Buen  Suceso  occupies  the  extremity  of  the  acute  angle 
formed  by  the  streets  of  Alcala  and  San  Geronimo,  both  of 
which,  issuing  from  the  Puerta,  strike  the  Prado  at  different 
points.  The  larger  portion  of  the  crowd  passes  up  the  Alcala, 
which  is  one  of  the  stateliest  and  most  noble  avenues  I  have 
seen, — wide  at  its  commencement,  and  increasing  in  width 
and  beauty,  until,  crossing  the  Prado  and  passing  alongside 
the  Retiro  gardens,  it  reaches  the  city  walls,  at  the  superb 
triumphal  arch  known  as  the  Gate  of  Alcald.  The  Carrem 
de  San  Geronimo,  however,  is  the  line  of  march  for  the  more 
choice  and  exclusive  spirits,  who  linger  for  a  moment,  in 
passing,  at  the  cafe  of  L'Hardi,  to  derange  their  digestion 
with  dear  confectionary,  and  fortify  themselves,  by  a  glass 
of  muscatel,  against  the  toils  of  the  walk  and  the  perilous 
onslaught  of  unmerciful  bright  eyes. 

The  Prado  has  been  often  described,  and  I  shall  only  say 
of  it,  that  it  extends  along  the  whole  eastern  side  of  the  city, 
from  the  Gate  of  Recoletos,  up  to  the  Gate  and  Convent  of 
Atocho.      In  that  part  of  it,  called  the  Salon,   which  lies 


24  SPAIN. 

between  the  streets  of  AlcaU  and  San  Ger6nimo,  directly 
facing  the  monument  to  the  heroes  of  the  Dos  de  Mayo  (May 
2d,  1808),  it  was  fashionable  for  all  the  world  to  congregate, 
durino-  the  earlier  weeks  of  the  season.  I  have  often  seen  it 
so  full,  of  a  bright  afternoon,  that 

"  Those  navigators  must  be  able  seamen " 

who  could  find  a  channel  through  it.  While  the  pedestrians, 
thus  packed  at  such  close  quarters,  went  through  the  pede- 
tentous  performance  which  is  called  "  walking,"  in  Spain,  the 
long  broad  avenue  which  runs  through  the  whole  Prado  was 
lined  with  gay  equipages  and  equestrians.  One  would  think, 
from  Mr.  Ford's  description  of  the  "  antediluvian  carriages, 
with  ridiculous  coachmen  and  grotesque  footmen  to  match," 
that  Madrid  was  a  sort  of  Pompeii  of  coaches,  under  whose 
crust  of  lava  or  ashes  there  was  nothing  to  be  found,  in  the 
way  of  a  conveyance,  of  much  later  date  than  Pliny  the  elder. 
The  learned  licenciate,  Don  Pedro  Fernandez  Navarrete,  in 
his  Conservacion  de  Monarquias,  expressed  his  fears  to  the 
council  of  Philip  the  Third,  that  the  kingdom  might  share 
the  fate  of  the  house  of  Jacob,  according  to  the  prophet 
Isaiah,  "because  the  land  was  full  of  horses,  neither  was 
there  any  end  of  the  chariots."  I  should  fully  concur  with 
Mr.  Ford  in  thinking,  that  to  scourge  the  Peninsula  generally 
for  excessive  luxury  in  coaches  would  be  a  mysterious,  and, 
to  human  eyes,  a  rather  severe  dispensation.  But  I  am  bound 
to  say,  on  the  other  hand,  that  in  the  capital  I  think  the 
manifestation  of  elegance  and  good  taste  in  equipages  was 
general  and  striking.  A  few  days  after  my  arrival,  I  witnessed 
the  funeral  of  the  Conde  de  Ofiate,  a  grandee  of  Spain,  which 


SPAIN.  26 

took  place  from  his  palace  in  the  Calle  Mayor,  nearly  opposite 
my  lodgings.  The  display  of  coaches,  horses,  and  liveries 
was  most  ample  and  magnificent ;  quite  as  much  so,  I  am 
sure,  as  any  similar  occasion  would  have  elicited  in  London  or 
Paris.  It  is  no  great  compliment,  perhaps,  to  the  Madrilefios 
to  say  this,  for  nearly  all  their  finest  carriages  are  of  English 
or  French  manufacture,  principally  the  latter;  but  be  that 
as  it  may,  the  fact  is  as  I  state  it.  Such,  indeed,  is  now  the 
rage  for  coaches  in  Madrid,  that  sorrowful  is  the  dame  of 
note  who  does  not  own  one.  They  appear  to  think,  as  the 
good  Navarrete  and  his  voucher,  Trogus  Pompeius,  allege, 
that  "  not  to  ride  about  and  be  seen  is  to  confess  themselves 
ill-favored."  A  friend,  who  had  certainly  no  wish  to  slander 
his  native  land,  informed  me,  that  there  were  persons,  to 
his  knowledge,  in  Madrid,  who  reduced  themselves  to  the 
extremity  of  hiring  their  table  and  bed  linen,  in  order  to 
keep  coaches  for  the  evening  ride  upon  the  Prado  !  Pride 
and  poverty,  alas  !  are  companions,  it  seems,  everywhere. 

But  whatever  may  be  said  of  the  vehicles,  I  do  not  wonder 
that  an  Englishman  should  be  in  peril  of  his  life  from  laugh- 
ing at  the  horsemen.  The  horses,  for  the  most  part,  though 
often  pretty,  are  under-sized,  and  it  seems  to  be  taken  for 
granted  that,  if  they  are  fat  and  sleek,  there  is  nothing  more 
required,  unless  it  can  be  managed  that  they  be  spotted  or 
piebald,  like  the  charger  of  INIr.  Briggs,  in  Punch,  which 
had  been  taught  to  take  a  seat  when  he  heard  music.  Tiieir 
natural  paces  are  completely  destroyed  by  vicious  education, 
and  every  ribbon-tailed  little  fellow  of  them  will  canter,  in 
magnificent  attitudes,  such  as  a  horse  was  never  made  to 
assume,  except  by  the  Spanish  picadores — and  the  illustrious 
4 


26  SPAIN. 

David,  when  he  painted  Napoleon  on  the  Alps.  Indeed  no 
class  of  animals,  that  I  know  of,  has  greater  reason  than  the 
Spanish  riding-horses  to  feel  under  personal  obligations  to 
the  attraction  of  gravitation.  But  for  that  potent  check,  there 
would  be  no  visible  reason  why,  between  the  horizontal  impetus 
communicated  from  behind  and  the  perpendicular  motion  they 
are  taught  to  give  to  the  fore  legs,  they  should  not  pass  off, 
on  the  diagonal  of  forces,  to  meet  the  renowned  Clavileno 
among  the  Pleiades. 

As  the  spring  came  on,  and  with  it  more  genial  weather, 
the  Salon  gradually  lost  its  popularity,  and  the  walk  between 
the  Gate  and  Convent  of  Atocha  became  the  rendezvous  of 
all  that  was  elegant  and  attractive  in  Madrid.  There  is 
nothing  very  remarkable  in  that  part  of  the  Prado.  On  the 
left,  as  you  face  the  convent,  there  is  a  long,  bold  hill,  which, 
though  surmounted  by  a  pretty  little  astronomical  observa- 
tory, is  barren  and  repulsive,  like  all  the  hills  along  the 
Manzanares.  On  the  right  extends  the  city  wall,  which  is 
as  graceless  in  appearance  as  it  would  be  insignificant  for  any 
serious  purpose  of  defence.  The  right  was  the  fashionable 
side  for  pedestrians.  Under  the  shadow  of  the  wall  some 
little  grass  had  been  able  to  keep  itself  alive,  and  the  pro- 
prietors of  chairs  had  taken  advantage  of  the  green  carpet  to 
make  the  public  comfortable  there  at  a  cuarto  apiece.  After 
walking  till  you  were  tired,  you  would  take  a  seat  for  a 
while.  A  charity  match-bearer,  from  the  poor-house  of  San 
Bernardino,  would  immediately  present  himself,  with  his 
badge  upon  his  hat  to  show  you  his  authority,  and  his  box 
at  his  belt  to  receive  your  contribution.  It  is  the  privilege, 
perhaps  the  monopoly,  of  the  poor  old  fellows,  to  light  cigars 


SPAIN.  27 

upon  the  public  walks,  and  it  does  not  enter  into  their  imagina- 
tions to  conceive  that  you  can  sit  down  for  five  minutes  with- 
out needing  their  services. 

When  you  are  comfortably  arranged,  either  with  or  without 
your  cigarrito,  you  must  be  hard  to  please,  if  you  do  not  find 
blessed  occupation  for  your  eyes,  as  long  as  the  daylight  lasts. 
In  their  handsome  open  carriages — moving  at  the  slowest, 
most  convenient  pace  for  observation,  or  walking,  slowly,  in 
bright  groups,  before  you,  or  sitting  in  groups  just  as  bright 
around  you — are  as  many  of  Eve's  fairest  daughters  as  in 
the  longest  day  of  the  year  you  ever  saw  before,  or  are  likely 
again  to  see.  In  other  parts  of  Spain  the  women,  beautiful 
as  they  may  be,  have  their  peculiar,  unvarying,  provincial 
type.  In  Madrid,  though  the  "  dark  side "  of  loveliness  is 
that  which  you  most  generally  see,  there  is,  nevertheless,  in 
that,  extreme  variety.  Bernardin  de  Saint  Pierre  gave  up 
in  despair  the  description  of  the  strawberry-plant  in  his 
window,  because  he  found  that  at  least  seven-and-thirty 
different  species  of  gorgeous  butterflies  made  it  their  beauti- 
ful pleasure-ground.  The  Prado,  with  the  fair  spirits  which 
are  its  ministers,  must  remain  unchronicled  in  loveliness,  by 
me,  for  reasons  quite  as  plentiful.  I  may  be  permitted  only 
to  say,  by  way  of  qualification,  that  I  do  not  think  beauty  has 
a  much  longer  span  in  Madrid  than  other  vitalities.  At  a 
moderately  middle  age,  there  is  a  sad  tendency  towards  the 
robustious  in  figure ;  and  a  young  maiden  at  all  prudential 
should  carefully  keep  her  mother  in  the  background,  lest 
hopeful  swains  might  be  deterred  from  uttering  obligatory 
vows,  by  the  dread  of  avoirdupois  weight  to  come  ! 


V. 


Constitutional  History  and  Epochs.— Constitutions.— Ferdinand 
THE  Seventh. — Due  d'AngoulI:me. — Cristina. — Don  Carlos. — 
EsTATUTO  Eeal.— History  of  Parties. — Espartero. — Narvaez. 


T 


^HE  Spanish  government  is  called  "  a  constitutional  mon- 
archy," and  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  is  entitled  to  the 
appellation,  if  the  number  of  organic  laws  that  have  ruled  it 
be  taken  as  evidence.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  examining  the 
original  of  the  first  of  these,  the  constitution  of  1812,  which 
was  reproclaimed  in  1820  and  1836.  It  is  magnificently 
engrossed  and  bound,  and  has  the  interesting  signatures  of 
many  patriotic  and  illustrious  men,  who  devoted  themselves 
during  the  struggle  with  Napoleon,  and  the  gloomy  period 
which  followed  it,  to  the  glorious  work  of  their  country's 
political  regeneration.  It  has  been  the  fashion  of  late  days, 
in  some  quarters,  to  undervalue  the  efforts  of  these  men,  and 
to  reproach  them  with  failures  and  follies  which  were  but 
the  unavoidable  results  of  political  inexperience  and  the  most 
untoward  circumstances.  My  occupations  in  Madrid  made  it 
necessary  for  me  often  to  recur  to  the  proceedings  of  the  con- 
stituent and  legislative  Cortes  of  1812-20,  &c.,  and  it  would 
be  unjust  for  me  to  conceal  how  much  my  admiration  was 
excited  by  the  deliberative  eloquence  and  the  political  philoso- 
28 


SPAIN.  29 

phy  which  they  displayed.  That  in  tlie  midst  of  revolution, 
uncertainty,  and  novelty, — with  })rejudices  the  most  inveterate 
to  overcome,  and  ignorance  and  apathy  to  enlighten  and  stimu- 
late,— there  should  have  been  many  things  evolved  which  were 
ephemeral  and  puerile,  can  surely  be  no  matter  of  surprise. 
But  that  in  a  country  where  political  discussion  of  every  sort 
had  been  unknown  for  centuries, — where  free  thought  and  a 
free  press  had  never  existed, — where  education  had  been 
imperfect  or  perverted,  and  oratory  had  never  stepped  beyond 
the  precincts  of  the  pulpit  and  a  restricted  forum, — there  should 
have  sprung  at  a  moment's  warning,  from  an  oppressed  and 
exhausted  people,  men  equal  to  the  labors  which  the  Constitu- 
tionalist leaders  of  those  days  did  unquestionably  perform, — is 
a  phenomenon  well  worth  the  notice  of  those  who  believe  that 
"  benighted  "  and  "  barbarous  "  are  the  only  epithets  to  which 
the  Spaniards  are  entitled. 

Side  by  side  with  the  first  constitution,  in  the  archives  of 
the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  is  its  successor  of  1837,  even  more 
gorgeous  in  vellum,  velvet,  and  chirography.  It  was  shown 
to  me,  with  just  and  manly  pride,  by  a  distinguished  member 
of  the  Progresista  party  who  had  a  conspicuous  share  in  its 
formation,  and  could  not  avoid  sighing  over  the  departure  of 
its  authority.  In  the  same  archives  is  the  original  of  the  con- 
stitution now  in  force,  which  was  promulgated  in  1845.  It 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  considered  as  of  any  great  dignity, 
if  one  may  judge  from  the  fact  that  it  exists  only  in  printed 
form,  and  that  its  garniture  is  by  no  means  luxurious, — a 
significant  thing  in  Spain.  It  is  probably  adorned,  however, 
quite  as  well  as  it  is  sometimes  observed, — if  it  be  not  treason 
to  say  so. 


30  SPAIK 

Every  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  recent  history  of  the 
Peninsula  will  remember  that  the  constitution  of  1812  was 
framed  during  the  absence  of  Ferdinand  the  Seventh  in  cap- 
tivity in  France,  by  the  men  who  had  been  most  active  and 
earnest  in  devoting  themselves  and  their  fortunes  to  the 
maintenance  of  the  national  independence.  Loyal,  as  well  as 
patriotic,  they  had  taken  no  advantage  of  their  king's  long 
absence,  to  weaken  his  legitimate  authority  or  sap  the  founda- 
tion of  his  throne.  They  had  done  nothing  without  his  de- 
clared and  apparently  sincere  approbation,  and  when,  at  last, 
he  was  about  to  resume  the  sceptre  of  his  ancestors,  it  was  the 
pride  of  the  good  and  brave  men  who  had  preserved  it  for  him, 
that  they  had  made  him  and  his  descendants  secure  in  it,  by 
linking  the  dignity  and  power  of  the  monarch  with  the  free- 
dom and  happiness  of  the  people.  The  defects  of  the  con- 
stitution were  probably  many.  It  was  not  easy  to  ingraft  a 
representative  system — in  the  sense  in  which  such  systems  are 
now  understood — upon  the  habits  and  traditions  of  the  most 
eminently  monarchical  country  of  Europe.  But  the  Constitu- 
tionalists of  1812 — be  their  errors  what  they  may — kept  con- 
stantly before  them  the  one  great  principle  of  making  the 
throne  subordinate  to  the  law.  The  Cortes  were  intrusted,  to 
all  intents  and  purposes,  with  the  government  of  the  realm,  in 
subjection  to  the  constitution.  The  personal  inviolability  of 
the  monarch  was  neutralized,  so  far  as  was  proper,  by  the 
direct  responsibility  of  his  ministers ;  and  there  were  guards 
and  checks  which  secured  the  rights  of  all  classes  from  the 
encroachments  of  prerogative  and  power. 

During  the  short  period  of  their  sway,  the  Cortes  reformed 
many  abuses,  and  established  much  that  was  wise,  liberal,  and 


SPAIN.  31 

of  hopeful  promise.     The  first  act,  however,  of  the  restored 
king  was  to  avail  himself  of  the  enthusiasm  produced  by  his 
return  to  overthrow  the  constitution,  forswear  the  oath  he  had 
voluntarily  taken  to  support  it,  and  repudiate  and  denounce 
whatever  had  been  done  in  its  name.    To  the  faithful  servants 
who  had  devoted  themselves,  through  blood  and  fire,  to  their 
country  and  to  him,  but  had  been  guilty  of  the  sin  of  constitu- 
tionalism, dungeons  and  chains  were  the  mildest  testimonials  of 
his  gratitude.     All  that  was  wise  and  eloquent,  and  liberal 
and  good,  in  the  land,  was  sent  into  exile,  poverty,  and  sorrow. 
Despotism  became  more  despotic  than  ever,  for  it  was  the  des- 
potism of  a  treacherous  and  unprincipled  reaction.    In  1820 
the  constitutional  system  was  revived,  and  there  was  a  brief, 
brave  struggle  to  maintain  it ;  but  the  suifering  saint  of  San 
Ildefonso  called  aloud  to  his  once  suffering  brother  of  St. 
Cloud,  who  hearkened  mercifully  to  his  voice.     In  the  face  of 
all  the  world,  and  especially  of  constitutional  England, — by 
whose  teachings  the  patriots  had  been  led,  and  on  whose  succor 
they  relied  in  vain, — the  Due  d'Angouleme,  in  1823,  marched 
from  the  Bidasoa  to  Cadiz,  trampling  down  every  vestige  and 
hope  of  rational  freedom.     Unhappily  for  Spain,  those  were 
the  days,  in  Europe,  of  sovereign  congresses  and  Holy  Alli- 
ances, and  the  United  States  had  not  as  yet  been  enlightened 
on  the  subject  of  intervention  by  any  Hungarian  revelations 
as  to  the  meaning  of  the  Washingtoniau  policy.     Riego  was 
hanged  without  let  or  hindrance  of  Turk  or  Christian,  and 
Quiroga,  escaping  as  best  he  might,  had  not  a  single  speech 
made  to  him  by  a  major-general  or  other  functionary,  legisla- 
tive, judicial,  or  executive. 

From  that  period  down  to  the  death  of  Ferdinand,  in  1833, 
the  picture  is  all  shadow.     It  is  hard  to  say  whether  folly  or 


32  SPAIN. 

iniquity  was  the  predominant  characteristic  of  that  very  wicked 
and  foolish  man.  His  only  objects  in  life  were  power,  ven- 
geance, and  the  gratification  of  his  appetites.  His  policy  had 
but  two  departments, — force  and  fraud.  His  only  address 
was  falsehood,  and  when  it  was  not  necessary  to  him  as  an  in- 
strument, he  sported  with  it  as  an  accomplishment,  or  revelled 
in  it  as  a  luxury.  He  hated  constitutions,  because  they  tram- 
melled him.  He  hated  reform,  even  when  it  did  him  no  harm, 
because  the  Constitutionalists  were  reformers,  and  had  befriended 
him,  and  he  hated  them.  Having  no  idea  of  government 
except  as  the  exercise  of  his  own  will,  he  found  the  ancient 
traditions  and  institutions  of  the  kingdom  as  objectionable  as 
the  new  lights,  and  he  loved  them  all  the  less  because  he 
understood  none  of  them.  Religion — though  he  professed  it 
sturdily,  went  through  its  forms  ostentatiously,  and  clung  to 
it  like  a  bad  coward  when  death  terrified  him — he  practically 
valued  only  as  a  lever  of  government.  Education  and  litera- 
ture he  discouraged,  because  he  knew  nothing  about  them, 
and  had  an  indefinite  idea  that  they  were  not  to  be  trusted. 
Men  of  learning  and  talent  he  drove  as  far  away  from  him  as 
possible,  "  being  as  much  afraid  of  them,"  to  use  a  phrase  of 
Lord  Chesterfield's,  "as  a  woman  is  of  a  gun,  which,  she 
thinks,  may  go  off  of  itself,  and  do  her  a  mischief."  He 
had,  in  fine,  no  sympathy  with  the  feelings  of  his  people, 
because  he  had  no  heart,  and  none  with  their  intellectual 
yearnings,  because  he  had  no  head.  The  only  good  thing  he 
ever  did  was  to  die ;  and  he  did  that  as  slowly  and  as  unsatis- 
factorily as  possible,  having  never  learned,  in  all  his  vicissi- 
tudes, to  submit  with  grace  to  necessity,  and  being  opposed, 
on  principle,  to  gratifying  his  subjects,  as  long  as  he  could 


SPAIN.  33 

in  any  way  avoid  it.     As  a  rebel  poet  said  of  his  grandsire, 
Charles  the  Third, — a  far  better  and  wiser  man, — 

"  Murio  de  mandar  harto," — 

he  died  of  a  surfeit  of  power.     We  may  pardon  power  many 
of  its  enormities,  for  having  ultimately  become  his  executioner. 
Upon  the  death  of  Ferdinand,  his  widow  Cristina,  the 
Eegent,  would  have  willingly  adhered  to  the  simple  despot- 
ism which  he  had  taken  so  much  trouble  to  establish  ;  but 
Don  Carlos,  the  brother  of  the  late  king,  declared  himself  at 
once  the  legitimate  heir  to  the  crown,  and  the  Regent  was 
compelled  to  make  friends,  as  well  as  she  could,   for    her 
infant  daughter,  who  had  been  proclaimed  Queen  under  the 
title  of  Isabella  the  Second.     Don  Carlos,  being  a  narrow- 
minded  bigot,  whose  chronology  of  ideas  came  down  no  lower 
than  the  fifteenth  century,  rallied  around  him,  of  course,  the 
most  influential  politicians  of  the  stationary  and  retrograde 
schools.     There  was  no  alternative,  therefore,  left  to  Cristina, 
but  to  throw  herself  and  her  daughter's  cause  into  the  arms 
of  the  liberal  party.     It  was  an  alliance  of  interest,  not  of 
love,  so  far  as  the  Queen  Regent  was  concerned,  and  the 
smiles  of  Heaven  were  never  upon  it.     The  first  pledge  of 
it  which  appeared  was  the  Estatuto  Real,  or  Royal  Statute,  a 
poor  apology  for  a  liberal  system,  establishing  the  semblance 
of  popular  representation,  but  in  reality  only  adding  that 
attractive  and  ostensible  machinery  to  the  usual  conveniences 
of  absolute  rule.     It  created  a  Chamber  of  Procet-es,  or  Peers, 
who  of  course  were  to  be  the  creatures  of  the  government, 
and  placed  the  election  of  the  popular  branch  substantially 
under  the  same  control.     Such  a  contrivance  could  not  please 
5 


34  SPAIN, 

or  last.  The  liberal  party  had  devoted  themselves  with 
undeviating  faith  to  the  throne  of  Isabella ;  but  they  were 
too  wise  not  to  know  the  folly  of  relying  upon  royal  gener- 
osity or  justice.  They  had  just  come  home  from  the  banish- 
ment into  which  kiugly  treachery  had  sent  them,  and  they 
were  aware  that  Cristiua  was  of  the  house  of  Naples.  The 
Estatuto  Real,  therefore,  could  not  satisfy  them.  The  Regent, 
being  a  Bourbon,  was  of  course  fated  to  be  deaf  to  reason  and 
experience,  and  the  result  was,  that  in  1836  she  found  herself 
compelled,  amid  the  bayonets  of  a  rebellious  soldiery  at  La 
Granja,  to  sign  a  decree  for  the  promulgation,  once  again,  of 
the  constitution  of  1812-20.  This  was  but  a  prelude  to  the 
meeting  of  a  constituent  Cortes, — or,  as  we  should  call  it,  a 
constitutional  convention, — whose  labors  were  crowned,  in 
June,  1837,  by  the  adoption  of  yet  another  fundamental  law. 
When  the  constitutional  system  was  overthrown,  in  1823, 
the  liberal  party  had  been  long  enough  in  power  to  be  broken 
into  factions.  Many  of  its  divisions  had  a  merely  personal 
foundation,  but  the  absorbing  question  was  one  of  principle. 
It  was  the  same  which  divides  all  popular  parties, — the 
question  as  to  where  progress  should  end,  and  conservatism 
begin.  Ten  years  of  sorrow  and  persecution  seemed  but  to 
have  confirmed  the  advocates  of  each  set  of  doctrines  in  their 
original  convictions,  and  when  the  necessities  of  the  Queen 
Regent  recalled  them  all  to  the  responsibilities  of  government, 
it  was  but  a  signal  for  the  revival  of  old  discords.  The  con- 
servative liberals  had  become  more  than  ever  satisfied,  that 
they  could  only  escape  the  dangers  of  the  past  by  centralizing 
the  administration,  strengthening  constitutionally  the  hands 
of  the  executive,  and  appealing  to  loyal  and  conservative 


SPAIN.  86 

traditions.  The  men  of  progress,  on  the  other  hand,  were 
quite  as  thoroughly  convinced,  that  too  many  concessions 
had  been  already  made  to  the  monarchical  idea,  and  they 
believed  that  they  could  see  in  those  concessions  the  true 
secret  of  the  downfall  of  former  free  institutions.  The 
Kegent,  being  a  queen,  of  course  followed  but  her  instinct, 
in  assuming  that  conservative  liberalism  was  a  lesser  evil 
than  the  same  iniquity,  rampant  with  the  spirit  of  change. 
She  therefore,  without  hesitation,  united  her  fortunes  with 
those  of  the  Moderados,  between  whom  and  the  Progresistas 
the  breach  was  of  course  made  wider  daily,  by  personal  strug- 
gles for  power. 

Party  names,  like  all  other  words  which  typify  practical 
opinions,  mean  much  or  little,  according  to  the  latitude. 
Most  things,  indeed,  owe  a  great  deal  of  their  signification  to 
the  eyes  with  which  we  look  at  them,  and  the  light  in  which 
we  see  them.  A  Progresista,  who  would  be  deemed  quite  a 
rabid  and  dangerous  radical  in  Spain,  would  be  but  a  pale 
and  twinkling  light  beside  even  the  most  subdued  exhibition 
of  those  democratical  pyrotechnics,  which,  here  in  America, 
we  have  grown  to  consider  quite  harmless  at  their  brightest. 
An  unenterprising  Moderado,  on  the  other  hand,  whom  our 
Kossuthian  disciples  might  consider  altogether  unrepublican, 
and  bad  enough  to  be  under  "Austrian  influence,"  would 
perhaps  be  taken  for  quite  a  revolutionist  in  Spain,  when 
placed  in  contrast  with  those  orthodox  Realistas  who  adhered 
to  Don  Carlos  and  the  jus  divinum,  and  would  have  gloried 
in  reestablishing  for  church  and  state  the  maxims  and  prac- 
tices of  Philip  the  Second  and  Antonio  Perez,  without  a  spark 
of  the  intellect  and  energy  which  gave  dignity  and  respecta- 


36  SPAIN. 

bility  to  tliat  grand,  though  gloomy  despotism.  The  two 
fractions  of  the  liberal  party,  therefore,  were  not  as  far  apart 
as  they  might  seem,  and  although,  by  dwelling  upon  their 
peculiar  points  of  difference, — each  to  defend  and  fortify  its 
own, — each  grew  more  absolute  and  more  exclusive, — the 
Moderado  more  moderate,  and  the  Progresista  more  progres- 
sive,— they  were  near  enough  together  still,  in  1837,  to  find 
some  terms  of  compromise.  The  Progresistas  had  the  Cortes 
of  that  year  entirely  at  their  command,  but,  to  the  lasting 
credit  of  their  intelligence  and  patriotism,  they  magnani- 
mously made  concessions  t©  the  vanquished,  even  in  the 
flush  of  victory. 

The  constitution  of  1812,  instead  of  being  merely  an  organic 
law,  had  more  the  appearance  of  a  code  or  an  elementary 
treatise,  in  the  multitude  and  particularity  of  its  details.  This 
violation  of  the  unity  and  brevity  so  essential  in  such  instru- 
ments arose  in  a  great  degree  from  the  pressure  of  peculiar 
circumstances.  The  Cortes  of  1837  corrected  this  error,  and, 
by  giving  to  the  executive  the  power  of  convoking  and  dis- 
solving the  Cortes,  under  proper  limitations,  as  well  as  a 
substantial  participation  in  making  of  the  laws,  removed  some 
of  the  most  serious  objections  which  the  advocates  of  pre- 
rogative had  upheld  against  the  former  system.  The  legisla- 
ture itself,  which  had  consisted  of  a  single  body  under  the 
constitution  of  1812,  was  separated  into  two.  Of  the  wisdom 
of  such  a  change,  few,  it  is  supposed,  could  now  be  found  to 
doubt.  The  experience  of  the  French  Republic  has  made 
conspicuous  what  the  experience  of  the  Cortes  had  demon- 
strated long  before  in  Spain, — that  a  single  chamber,  having 
no  battles  to  fight  with  one  of  its  own  kind,  is  always  ready, 


SPAIN.  37 

at  a  moment's  warning,  either  to  serve  under  the  banner  of  the 
executive  or  to  usurp  its  powers.     It  is  invariably  either 
subservient  or  contumacious.     An  executive  or  a  legislative 
tyranny  is  thus  its  inevitable  result,  unless  peculiar  circum- 
stances so  equalize  the  strength  of  the  contending  departments, 
that  they  neutralize  each  other,  and  render  all  government 
impossible.    At  the  same  time  that  the  Cortes  of  1837  applied 
the  remedy  to  this  evil,  and  added  one  more  enlightened  con- 
servative element  to  their  system,  they  developed  the  peculiar 
principles  of  the  Prngrcnda  majority  in  a  more  liberal  and 
simple  electoral  machinery,  an  increase  in  the  number  of  rep- 
resentatives, and  a  series  of  other  important  popular  guaran- 
ties.    The  new  constitution  was  thus  made  acceptable  to  both 
parties,  and  there  seemed  to  be  in  prospect,  for  a  while,  one  of 
those  political  millenniums,  w^hich  are  so  often  prophesied,  but 
never  happen,  even  in  communities  where  political  augury 
ought  to  be  a  more  demonstrative  science  than  in  Spain. 

The  famous  convenio,  or  settlement,  made  at  Vergara,  in 
August,  1839,  between  Espartero  and  the  Carlist  general 
Maroto,  virtually  put  an  end  to  the  bloody  and  protracted 
civil  Avar,  and  the  pretensions  of  Don  Carlos.  The  defeat 
and  emigration  of  Cabrera,  his  ablest  general,  in  the  following 
year,  left  nothing  further  even  for  his  hopes.  The  victorious 
leader  of  the  national  armies,  Espartero,  of  course  became — 
as  from  his  many  high  qualities  and  eminent  services  he  cer- 
tainly deserved  to  be — a  person  of  much  weight  in  public 
affairs.  Being  at  the  head  of  the  Prof/re.fistaii,  he  naturally 
availed  himself  of  his  influence  to  elevate  and  strengtlien  the 
position  of  his  party,  which  at  that  moment  was  much 
depressed.     A   Moderado   majority   in    the  Cortes   had  just 


38  SPAIN. 

adopted  a  law  adverse  to  the  system  of  ayuntamientos,  or 
municipal  corporations,  which  the  liberal  party  had  always 
vigorously  upheld,  as  the  chief  protection  of  provincial  and 
popular  rights  against  the  absorbing  centralization  to  which 
the  Modefi'ado  doctrines  tended.  To  procure  from  the  Queen 
Regent  a  veto  upon  the  obnoxious  measure,  and  a  dissolution 
of  the  Cortes  which  had  passed  it,  was  the  object  of  Espar- 
tero's  solicitude.  Cristina  refused  to  yield,  and  the  result  was 
a  popular  outbreak,  which  was  followed,  in  the  autumn  of  1840, 
by  her  renunciation  of  the  regency  and  immediate  departure 
for  France.  Espartero  succeeded  her,  as  was  to  have  been 
expected.  Agustin  Arguelles,  the  distinguished  author  of  the 
preliminary  discourse  to  the  constitution  of  1812,  and  an 
orator  so  graceful  and  impressive  that  he  had  the  surname  of 
"the  divine,"  was  appointed  "tutor"  to  the  royal  children. 
The  Progresistas  then,  for  a  little  while,  had  everything  in 
their  own  hands. 

In  Calderon's  beautiful  drama  of  the  Cisma  de  Inglaterra, 
the  melancholy  Catherine  of  Aragon,  in  the  depth  of  her 
desertion  and  disgrace,  calls  on  her  maidens  for  a  song, 
wherein  she  asks  the  very  flowers  to  learn  from  her  how  all 
things  fleet  and  fade  : — 

"Aprended,  flores,  de  mi, 
Lo  que  va  de  ayer  a  hoy: 
Que  ayer  maravilla  fui, 
Y  hoy,  sombra  mia  no  soy ! " 

The  chances  and  changes  of  Spanish  politics  might  give  quite 
as  serious  instruction  to  the  leaves  and  grass,  as  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  Henry's  victim.    In  the  summer  of  1843,  Espartero, 


SPAIN.  39 

Duke  of  Victory,  Regent  and  Saviour  of  the  Realm,  found 
himself  a  fugitive  on  board  an  English  steamer  in  the  Bay  of 
Cadiz,  stripped  of  his  titles,  and  stigmatized  in  a  ministerial 
degree  as  "  bearing  the  mark  of  public  execration  ! "  With 
Espartero  fell  the  friends  who  had  clung  to  him,  and  the 
doctrines  they  had  espoused.  In  the  face  of  the  constitu- 
tion,— which  expressly  provided  that  fourteen  years  should 
be  the  term  of  the  royal  minority, — the  Queen,  a  child  not 
quite  thirteen,  was  declared  to  be  of  full  age,  and  invested 
with  the  symbols  of  dominion.  Then  commenced  the  pre- 
dominant influence  of  Narvaez,  Duke  of  Valencia,  who  from 
that  time  to  the  period  of  my  visit  had,  with  occasional  inter- 
ruptions, been  the  ruling  spirit  of  the  Peninsula.  Much,  of 
both  good  and  evil,  has  been  said  of  this  remarkable  man,  to 
whose  position  and  character  I  shall  have  occasion  hereafter  to 
allude.  Those  who  praise  him  may  perhaps  do  him  more 
than  justice, — those  who  denounce  him,  less;  but  it  were  folly 
to  deny  that  he  has  permanently  and  honorably  linked  his 
name  with  the  repression  of  civil  discord  and  the  revival  of 
his  country's  prosperity  in  the  nineteenth  century. 

It  was  under  the  auspices  of  Narvaez  and  the  Moderado 
party,  that  the  constitution  of  1845  was  adopted,  which,  down 
to  the  last  steamer's  dates  from  Madrid,  continued  to  be 
preached  from  as  the  fundamental  text.  It  is  not  likely  to  be 
soon  changed,  for  all  parties  seem  to  have  adopted  the  idea, 
made  illustrious  among  ourselves  not  long  ago,  of  administer- 
ing constitutions  "as  they  understand  them."  In  such  case, 
one  form  answers  about  as  well  as  another. 


yi. 


Constitution  of  1845. — Its  Provisions  and  Character. — The  Cortes. 
— Elections. — Pay  op  Members. — Executive  Influence. — Its 
Benefits. — Republican  Propagandism. 

THE  fanciful  theorist  who  thought  the  concoction  of 
popular  songs  a  far  more  important  source  of  power 
than  the  making  of  laws,  might,  if  he  had  lived  in  these 
days,  have  applied  his  remark  a  fortiori  to  constitutions. 
The  Marseillaise  has  been  generally  found  equal  to  the  over- 
throw of  any  organic  establishment  against  which  it  has  been 
pitted,  and  I  greatly  doubt  whether,  if  a  popular  question 
were  made  between  Yankee-Doodle  and  the  best  of  our  State 
constitutions,  there  would  not  be  large  odds,  and  perhaps  a 
convention,  in  favor  of  the  ditty.  The  truth  is,  that,  where 
there  is  any  decided  and  predominant  governing  element  in  a 
nation,  experience  shows  that  paper  regulations  are  far  more 
apt  to  subserve  than  to  thwart  it.  It  is  easy,  at  the  worst, 
for  those  who  make  to  unmake  if  they  please ;  but  the  science 
of  interpretation  has  of  late  been  carried  to  such  a  pitch  of 
perfection,  as  almost  entirely  to  supersede  the  older  and 
clumsier  methods  of  change.  We  certainly  are  not  without 
our  own  examples  of  new  constitutional  readings,  made  ortho- 
dox at  once  by  the  very  popularity  of  the  novelty  or  the 
40 


SPAIN,  41 

expounder;  and  we  cannot  fairly  express  any  surprise  that  the 
few  who  have  the  power  elsewhere  should  wield  it,  in  their 
own  way,  like  the  many  who  possess  it  here.  The  knowledge 
of  this  mutability  in  fundamental  laws,  and  of  the  trifling 
resistance  which  they  practically  make  to  real  power,  has 
destroyed  a  great  deal  of  that  sacredness  with  which  people 
used  to  invest  such  things,  when  society  and  politics  were  in  a 
more  reverent  and  pastoral  state.  It  is  not  worth  while  to 
inquire  whether  such  a  falling-ofl'  in  respect  for  what  ought  to 
be  most  respectable  is  not  a  sad  and  serious  evil.  It  is  a  fact, 
let  it  be  what  else  it  may.  Men  may  differ  a  little  as  to  the 
sort  and  number  of  masters  they  would  prefer,  if  they  could 
have  their  choice;  and  most  men  prefer  being  among  the 
masters  themselves ;  but  it  is  now  pretty  generally  under- 
stood, that  those  who  have  the  mastery  will  use  it,  be  they  few 
or  many,  and  that  paper  obstructions  are  not  likely  to  prevent 
them. 

The  Spanish  constitution  of  1845  does  not  surround  the 
exercise  of  absolute  dominion  by  the  powers  that  be  with  any 
insurmountable  barriers.  It  is  very  full,  no  doubt,  of  patriotic 
and  liberal  generalities,  and  many  of  its  theories  and  guaranties 
are  ostensibly  as  popular  as  need  be.  Yet  while  almost  every 
right  is  seemingly  secured  to  the  citizen,  there  is  attached  to 
each  of  the  provisions  on  which  that  security  depends  a  sig- 
nificant clause,  which  has  the  real  effect  of  setting  the  whole 
matter,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  at  sea.  Thus,  for  exam- 
ple, by  "Art.  2.  All  Spaniards  may  print  and  publish  their 
ideas  freely,  without  previous  censorship,  but  with  subjection 
to  the  laws.^'  By  "  Art.  3.  Every  Spaniard  has  the  right  to 
direct  written  petitions  to  the  Cortes  and  the  king,  as  the  laws 
6 


42  SPAIN. 

may  direct."  By  "  Art.  7.  No  Spaniard  shall  be  detained  or 
imprisoned,  or  kept  from  his  domicile,  nor  shall  his  house  be 
forced,  except  in  those  cases  and  in  that  manner  which  the  laws 
may  prescribe."  And  by  "Art.  8.  If  the  security  of  the  state 
should  require,  under  extraordinary  circumstances,  the  tem- 
porary suspension,  in  the  whole  or  in  any  part  of  the  king- 
dom, of  the  provisions  of  the  preceding  article,  it  shall  be  so 
determined  by  law." 

It  will  be  very  obvious  that  the  protection  which  the  citizen 
is  to  derive  from  these  and  similar  provisions  must  depend 
altogether  upon  the  constitution  and  temper  of  the  law-making 
department.  If,  by  the  fundamental  law,  the  legislature  can, 
without  hindrance,  be  made  what  the  people  will,  then  the 
constitution  secures,  or  may  be  made  to  secure,  the  popular 
immunities,  and  the  nation  will  be  well  or  ill  governed 
according  to  the  popular  capacity  and  disposition  to  govern. 
If  the  throne,  on  the  contrary,  can  make  or  manage  the  law- 
givers, then  there  is  nothing  but  a  circumlocution  and  a  slight 
complication  of  machinery  in  the  way  of  its  being,  to  a  degree, 
absolute.  This  last  seems  to  be  frequently  the  practical  work- 
ing of  the  Spanish  system  at  present. 

The  Cortes  are  composed  of  two  chambers,  the  Senate  and 
the  Congress  of  Deputies.  The  Senators  hold  office  for  life, 
and — with  the  exception  of  the  sons  of  the  reigning  monarch 
and  of  the  immediate  heir  to  the  throne,  who  are  members  of 
the  Senate,  as  of  course,  on  attaining  the  age  of  twenty-five, — 
they  derive  their  appointments  exclusively  from  the  crown. 
Their  number  is  unlimited,  so  that  a  ministry  can  always 
create  a  majority  at  need.  To  secure  their  conservatism,  they 
are  required  to  have  a  considerable  fixed  income,  or  to  pay 


SPAIN.  43 

a  specified  amount  of  taxes.  That  their  sympathies  may  be 
upon  the  side  of  power,  they  can  only,  now,  be  chosen  from 
among  the  nobility,  the  higher  clergy,  and  such  individuals 
as  may  have  filled  certain  distinguished  positions  in  the  puljlic 
service.  Lest,  however,  it  should  be  important  for  the  govern- 
ment, hereafter,  in  an  exigency,  to  go  beyond  the  enumerated 
classes  in  search  of  friends,  it  is  provided  that  the  sphere  of 
selection  may  at  any  time  be  enlarged  by  law.  So  far,  then, 
as  the  control  of  affairs  by  legislation  is  concerned,  it  must  be 
a  rare  ministry  which  cannot,  with  such  facilities,  protect 
itself  against  the  happening  of  any  thing  inconvenient  or 
disagreeable.  But  the  functions  of  the  senators  go  farther. 
The  creatures  of  the  throne,  they  are  yet  the  constitutional 
judges  of  all  alleged  oifences  against  the  state  and  the  person 
or  dignity  of  tiie  monarch.  Dependent  upon  the  ministry  for 
the  very  dignities  which  make  them  eligible,  or  for  the  sena- 
torial dignity  itself,  they  have  yet  exclusive  jurisdiction  over 
impeachments  of  ministers.  It  must  be  no  small  relief  to  a 
statesman,  in  his  sense  of  official  responsibility,  to  know  that 
he  has  a  check  on  the  laws  which  are  to  govern  him,  and  can 
legitimately  pack  the  tribunal  which  alone  can  try  him  ! 

The  Congress  of  Deputies  is,  to  all  appearance,  a  mere 
popular  body,  though  not  always  so  in  fact,  as  the  system 
works.  Its  members  are  chosen  for  five  years  and  are  indefi- 
nitely reeligible.  They  need  not  reside  in  their  respective 
districts,  and  may,  therefore,  be  lawfully  selected,  as  they 
often  are,  from  among  the  hack  politicians  and  the  courtiers 
who  trade  in  place,  at  Madrid.  They  must  be  laymen,  above 
the  age  of  twenty-five,  and  chosen  in  the  pro]iortion  of  at 
least  one  to  every  fifty  thousand  souls.     The  mode  of  election, 


44  SPAIN. 

and  the  pecuniary  and  other  qualifications  required,  are  pre- 
scribed, under  the  constitution,  by  the  electoral  laws  of  1846 
and  1849, — chiefly  by  that  of  1846.  A  representative,  under 
those  laws,  is  given  to  every  district  containing  thirty-five 
thousand  inhabitants.  The  colonies,  however,  have  no  share 
in  this  distribution,  having  lost,  since  1837,  the  right  of 
representation  in  the  Cortes,  which  they  enjoyed  under  the 
constitution  of  1812-20.  They  are  now  governed  by  special 
enactments,  which,  be  they  as  wise  as  they  may,  can  never 
be  welcome,  altogether,  to  a  people  who  have  no  voice  in 
their  making. 

A  Deputy  is  required  to  have  an  annual  income  of  at  least 
six  hundred  dollars  from  real  property,  or  to  pay  fifty  dollars 
yearly  in  direct  taxes.  Captains-general,  and  certain  other 
specified  functionaries,  are  declared  to  be  ineligible,  unless 
their  official  duties  should  require  their  presence  in  Madrid ; 
so  that,  if  any  obnoxious  officer  of  the  kind  should  be  chosen, 
the  government  has  but  to  render  his  duties  engrossing  some- 
where else,  and  there  is  an  end  of  his  legislative  pretensions. 
As  many  of  the  most  able  and  influential  men  are  likely  to 
hold  the  offices  enumerated,  this  provision  in  an  important 
spring  in  the  ministerial  man-trap. 

To  vote  for  deputies,  the  elector  must  be  at  least  twenty- 
five  years  old,  and  pay,  at  the  lowest,  twenty  dollars  of  direct 
taxes  annually.  Lawyers,  physicians,  academicians,  parish 
priests,  and  persons  of  similar  category,  are  allowed  the  right 
of  sufirage  upon  paying  half  that  amount.  The  extent  to 
which  even  this  moderate  qualification  sometimes  diminishes 
the  number  of  electors  may  be  inferred  from  an  article  of  the 
law,  which  provides  for  those  districts  in  which  they  may  be 


SPAIN.  45 

fewer  than  one  hundred  and  fifty.  The  Jefes  Foliticos  (politi- 
cal chiefs  of  the  provinces,  who  have  since  been  superseded  by 
provincial  governors)  are  required  to  make  out  the  electoral 
lists  once  in  two  years.  From  any  error  of  omission  or 
commission  upon  their  part,  an  appeal  is  provided  to  the 
Audieneia,  or  court  of  superior  jurisdiction  for  the  province. 
As,  however,  the  Jefes  Politicos  were,  as  their  successors,  the 
governors,  continue  to  be,  subject  to  removal  at  discretion, 
and  as  judicial  officers  of  all  kinds  may,  under  the  constitu- 
tion, be  suspended  at  any  time  for  trial,  by  a  simple  royal 
order,  it  needs  no  sorcery  to  divine  the  probable  complexion 
of  the  electoral  list,  whenever  the  government  chooses  to  take 
sides.  So  well,  indeed,  is  the  matter  understood,  that,  in 
most  of  the  special  elections,  the  successful  candidate  can 
alwavs  be  named  at  Madrid  before  the  votes  have  been 
counted.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  thorough  manner 
in  which  the  thing  can  be  done,  even  in  a  general  canvass, 
from  the  fact  that,  in  the  election  which  first  took  place  after 
my  return,  two  hundred  and  thirty  ministerial  deputies  were 
chosen,  to  fourteen  Progresistas  ! 

The  coolness  with  which  such  results  are  canvassed,  by 
men  of  both  parties,  is  quite  amusing.  If  I  had  found  the 
influence  of  government  only  complained  of  by  the  unsuc- 
cessful side  and  denied  by  the  victors,  I  should  have  supposed 
that  what  I  heard  was  to  be  taken  with  the  usual  and  proper 
allowance  for  partisan  facts.  Nobody,  however,  thinks  of 
disputing  the  matter  or  expressing  surprise  at  it.  I  was 
talking  one  day  to  a  friend,  in  regard  to  a  prominent  member 
of  the  opposition,  a  man  of  distinguished  abilities,  who  had 
favored  me  with  some  degree  of  intimacy  and  in  whose  success 


46  SPAIN. 

as  a  candidate  for  the  next  Cortes  I  felt  much  interest.  He 
was  about  to  oifer  himself  for  his  native  district  in  Andalusia. 
"  I  am  very  sorry,"  said  the  gentleman  whom  I  addressed, 
"very  sorry,  indeed.  My  brother-in-law  is  Jefe  Politico 
there,  and  will  have  to  defeat  your  friend  or  lose  his  place  ! " 
Upon  another  occasion,  a  senator,  deep  in  the  secrets  of  the 
ruling  powers,  was  discussing  the  practical  operation  of  the 
constitution  with  me.  "  Es  un  embiiste/'  said  he,  "y  un 
embuste  muy  caro,  el  sistema  representaiivo  ! — The  representa- 
tive system  is  a  humbug,  and  a  very  dear  one  !  It  costs  the 
government,  and  of  course  the  country,  enormously,  to  get 
the  right  sort  of  people  elected,  and  when  they  are  in,  it  costs 
a  great  deal  more  to  keep  them  from  doing  mischief.  Every 
man  of  them  must  have  something  for  himself,  his  children, 
or  his  friends,  and  unless  he  can  get  what  he  wants,  he  takes 
advantage  of  a  critical  opportunity  and  goes  over  to  the 
opposition  ! "  A  striking  evidence  that  my  companion  made 
no  mistake  in  this,  is  furnished  by  a  test  vote  which  took 
place  on  the  3d  of  January,  1850,  upon  a  proposition  which 
the  government  exerted  itself  to  defeat.  Of  one  hundred  and 
thirty  deputies  who  maintained  the  ministerial  side  of  the 
question,  the  Clamor  Publico,  one  of  the  Progresista  organs, 
enumerated,  by  name  and  station,  one  hundred  and  eighteen 
who  had  places,  and  five  who  were  believed  to  have  them  ! 
There  was,  no  doubt,  some  little  of  partisan  exaggeration  in 
the  statement,  but  the  ministerial  papers  did  not  succeed  in 
correcting  it  very  materially.  The  Clamor  promised  to  pre- 
pare a  subsequent  table  of  the  salaries  which  the  gentlemen 
of  the  majority  were  enjoying.  It  would  have  been  very 
edifying,  no  doubt,  but  I  do  not  remember  that  it  appeared. 


SPAIN.  47 

It  was  in  view  of  such  things  and  their  results  that  Gonzalez 
Bravo,  a  prominent  member  of  the  Moderado  section  of  the 
opposition,  expressed  himself  thus,  one  day,  in  debate  : — 

"I  can  understand  the  system  of  force,  which  closes  the 
door  against  discussion, — the  absolute  system  which  is  repre- 
sented by  Russia.  I  can  comprehend  that  system,  on  the 
other  hand,  which  lives  with  and  applies  the  spirit  of  the 
age, — which  deals  out  prudent  concessions,  and  does  justice 
to  the  national  necessities, — the  system,  in  fine,  of  England. 
But  what  I  cannot  understand,  and  what  signifies  nothing 
to  be  understood,  is  the  bastard  system,  which  is  neither  the 
one  thing  nor  the  other, — which  is  not  constitutional,  because 
it  does  not  rest  upon  an  honest  administration  of  constitutional 
principles,  and  is  not  absolute,  because  it  lacks  the  dignity  and 
power  of  monarchical  traditions  ! " 

Sefior  Bravo  is  an  able  man,  no  doubt,  but  it  was  hardly 
reasonable  for  him  to  complain  that  the  government  of  her 
Majesty  was  not  absolute  enough  to  be  comprehended  as  such. 
The  Duke  of  Valencia  and  his  colleagues  certainly  did  all 
that  lay  in  their  power  to  prevent  themselves  from  being 
justly  liable  to  animadversion  on  that  score.  Indeed,  the 
Duke  did  not  scruple  to  take  the  orator  to  task,  upon  that 
very  occasion,  for  the  tone  of  his  remarks,  in  a  style  which  I 
will  not  say  was  Russian  altogether,  but  which  would  have 
created  some  astonishment  in  the  House  of  Commons,  and 
would  certainly  have  elicited  some  elegant  allusions  to  ''  here 
and  elsewhere"  in  either  branch  of  our  national  legislature. 

Neither  the  senators  nor  deputies  receive  any  direct  com- 
pensation, nor  is  the  Spanish  language  so  fortunate  as  to 
possess  any  word  corresponding  to  "  mileage," — that  pleasant 


48  SPAIN. 

invention  of  the  American  genius,  wbereby  honorable  gentle- 
men are  so  often  enabled  to  illustrate  the  proverb,  that  "  the 
longest  way  round  is  the  shortest  way  home."  The  Peninsu- 
lar legislators  are  supposed,  in  theory,  to  be  amply  compensated 
by  the  honor  of  the  station,  the  pleasure  of  serving  their 
country,  and  the  felicity  of  making  speeches.  The  real  quid 
pro  quo,  however,  consists  in  the  opportunity  just  alluded  to, 
of  securing  profitable  places  for  themselves  and  their  friends, 
by  the  use  of  a  little  diplomacy  and  the  advantages  of  posi- 
tion. An  acquaintance  of  mine,  who  had  been  all  the  winter 
in  Madrid,  prelendiendo,  as  they  call  it, — office-hunting,  in 
the  homely  American  vernacular, — called,  late  in  the  season, 
to  take  leave  of  me.  He  was  a  worthy  person,  and  I 
expressed  my  hope  that  he  had  been  able  to  handle  his  cards 
successfully.  "  Not  at  all,"  he  answered,  "  and  I  am  tired  of 
playing  the  beggar.  I  am  going  home  to  have  myself  returned, 
if  possible,  to  the  next  Cortes.  If  I  can  succeed  in  that,  I 
think  I  shall  be  able  to  make  my  own  terms ! " 

It  has  often  been  a  question  whether  the  system  of  direct 
compensation  to  members  of  the  legislature  is  a  wise  one. 
That  it  places  the  honors  of  the  republic  equally  within  the 
reach  of  the  wealthy  and  the  poor,  is  deemed  with  us  an 
unanswerable  argument  in  its  favor.  It  is  supposed,  besides, 
to  secure  legislative  independence.  If  a  per  diem  would  in 
truth  prevent  the  members  of  the  Cortes  from  surrendering 
themselves  to  that  subserviency  which  no  place-hunter  can 
escape,  it  would  certainly  be  both  wise  and  economical  to  let 
them  name  their  own  stipend.  Unfortunately,  however,  it  is 
by  no  means  absolutely  certain  that  the  result  would  be  so 
happy.     It  might  be  asserted,  as  a  fact  quite  susceptible  of 


SPAIN.  49 

proof  in  our  own  beloved  country,  that  members  of  Congress 
have  been  found, — circumnavigatory  to  the  last  degree  in  their 
demands  for  mileage, — scrupulous,  to  the  extent  of  good  con- 
science, in  the  exaction  of  their  pay, — and  yet  feeling  them- 
selves in  no  way  precluded  thereby  from  asking  and  taking 
every  scrap  of  official  preferment  to  be  had.  Perhaps  the 
best  remedy  for  this  evil  would  be  to  make  members  of  the 
legislature  incapable  of  filling  any  but  elective  offices,  within 
at  least  five  years  from  the  expiration  of  their  legislative 
terms.  But  even  then  there  would  be  uncles  and  cousins  to 
provide  for,  besides  lineal  descendants  and  influential  con- 
stituents, so  that,  on  the  whole,  it  is  greatly  to  be  feared  there 
is  but  poor  chance  of  any  sure  reform  in  the  matter,  until 
some  plan  be  devised  for  remodelling  human  nature. 

It  must  not  be  supposed,  from  the  tone  of  this  chapter,  that 
I  regard  the  decided  influence  of  the  Spanish  executive  over 
the  legislature  as  by  any  means  an  unmixed  evil,  in  the 
present  state  of  the  Peninsula.  I  shall  have  occasion  here- 
after to  consider  that  point,  in  a  more  general  connection. 
There  are,  no  doubt,  those  by  whom  it  will  be  held  marvellous 
that  a  republican  should  entertain  any  question  whatever  on 
the  subject ;  but  I  think  it  the  duty  of  every  candid  man,  upon 
proper  occasion,  to  set  his  face  against  the  folly  so  prevalent 
with  us,  of  striving  to  fit  all  the  world  with  governments 
according  to  our  own  measure.  An  American,  who  returns 
from  European  travel  without  an  increased  sense  of  the  value 
to  us  of  the  institutions  under  which  we  were  born,  and  a 
profounder  feeling  of  gratitude  to  the  good  Providence  whose 
beneficence  made  them  our  birthright,  must  be  as  mad  as  the 
most  "  undevout  astronomer,"  or  too  silly  to  reach  the  dignity 
7 


50  SPAIN. 

of  maduess.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  his  intellect  must  be 
very  narrow,  and  his  prejudices  most  absurd,  if  he  has  not 
been  able  to  rid  himself  of  the  superstition,  that  our  system 
is  the  best  for  all  nations,  all  times,  all  circumstances,  and 
all  stages  of  intelligence,  merely  because  it  happens  so  to  be 
for  us  and  ours.  He  must  be  made  of  impenetrable  stuff 
indeed,  if  observation  abroad  has  not  convinced  him — as 
sanity  and  reflection  at  home  might  surely  do — that  no 
government  under  popular  auspices  is  likely  to  answer  its 
true  purposes,  unless  it  tally,  not  merely  with  the  abstract 
convictions  and  theoretical  demonstrations  of  constitution- 
tinkers,  but  with  the  actual  necessities,  the  ingrained  habits, 
sentiments,  and  traditions,  the  very  prejudices  and  weaknesses, 
of  the  people  whose  welfare  it  concerns. 

It  is  easy  enough  to  create  institutions.  Mr.  Burke's  inven- 
tory of  what  was  to  be  found  in  the  pigeon-holes  of  the  Abbe 
Sieyes,  is  but  a  trifle  compared  with  the  stock  in  the  market 
at  present.  All  popular  government,  nevertheless,  must  be  a 
form  and  a  folly,  unless  it  be  the  shadow  of  the  true,  pre- 
dominating national  character, — the  projection,  as  it  were,  of 
the  national  mind  and  temper.  Men  are  not  to  be  dealt  with 
as  right-angled  triangles ;  and  he  is  a  sad  statesman,  be  he 
ever  so  much  a  philosopher,  who  acts  upon  the  notion  that 
human  nature  is  one  of  the  exact  sciences.  The  best  constitu- 
tion in  the  world  will  be  but  a  source  of  perpetual  discord, 
misrule,  or  no  rule  at  all,  unless  there  be  the  adequate  amount 
of  good  sense  and  good  feeling  among  the  people,  to  get  them 
practically  out  of  the  theoretical  difficulties  against  which  no 
foresight  can  entirely  provide.  A  very  bad  constitution,  on 
the  other  hand,  with  popular  intelligence  and  purity,  and  a 


SPAIN.  61 

compromising  spirit  to  remedy  its  defects  and  relieve  it  when 
in  straits,  will  make  a  people  prosperous  and  happy  for  many 
generations, — or,  to  speak,  perhaps,  more  logically,  will  inter- 
pose no  serious  obstacle  to  their  making  themselves  so.  In 
England  they  get  along  very  well  with  a  system  which  would 
set  all  Yankeedom  at  loggerheads  in  a  month.  Here  we 
seem  to  have  a  passion  for  making  ourselves  uncomfortable, 
under  a  constitution  which  ought  to  secure  the  peace  and 
felicity  of  any  people  out  of  Bedlam.  Nowhere  in  the  world 
have  wiser  or  more  eloquent  expositions  of  the  true  principles 
of  government  been  heard,  than  in  the  late  French  Assembly, 
and  yet  they  probably  afford  a  less  substantial  indication  of 
rational  republicanism  to  come,  than  would  be  furnished  by 
the  existence  of  a  single  thorough-bred  French  Quaker, — 
drab,  broad-brimmed,  earnest,  and  orthodox.  One  such  fixed 
human  fact  would  show  the  possibility  of  self-control  among 
a  people  who  as  yet  have  given  no  proofs  of  it, — just  as  the 
finding  of  a  solitary  fossil  man  or  monkey  would  settle  for 
ever  one  of  the  problems  of  geology.  Without  that  self- 
control,  who  shall  pretend  that  the  legitimacy  of  La  Roche- 
jacquelin  and  Montalembert,  or  the  coup  d'etat  of  Louis 
Napoleon,  is  of  less  promise  for  good  than  the  drunken 
Utopia  of  socialism? 

The  art  of  good  government  may  find  more  profitable 
analogies  in  medicine  than  mathematics.  The  man  who  is 
only  weak  needs  but  a  staiF;  the  cripple  requires  his  crutches ; 
he  of  the  fractured  limb  must  have  it  bandaged,  splintered, 
and  put  at  rest.  The  surgeon  should  be  hanged,  without 
benefit  of  clergy,  who  would  prescribe  gymnastics  to  them 
all,  because  their  neighbors,  who  were  not  halt,  could  dance 


62  SPAIN. 

and  be  glad  at  a  merry-making.  We  have  quacks  enough 
among  us,  notwithstanding,  who  are  always  prescribing  to 
other  people,  in  the  way  of  government,  something  quite  as 
innocent  and  sensible.  Now  the  fact  is, — let  the  newspapers 
and  stump-orators  say  what  they  please, — that  the  sun  of 
civilization  neither  rises  nor  sets  within  our  national  limits, 
ample  though  they  be.  The  moon  of  Athens  was  no  finer 
moon  than  that  of  Corinth,  though  there  were  Athenian 
patriots,  in  Plutarch's  tale,  who  would  have  fought  to  prove 
it  so.  With  a  good  deal  of  political  philosophy,  and  extra- 
ordinary political  sagacity,  we  yet  have  no  monopoly  of  either. 
We  are  not,  like  the  friends  of  holy  Job,  "  the  only  men,"  nor 
is  there  any  danger  that  "  wisdom  will  die  with  "  us.  A  fair 
appreciation  of  these  truths  would  greatly  enlighten  some  of 
our  public  men  and  popular  oracles,  who  seem  to  be  entirely 
unaware  that  there  is  a  breathing,  thinking  world  outside  the 
happy  valley  which  surrounds  their  tripods.  It  would  save 
us  (a  wise  economy  !)  Heaven  knows  how  much  of  cant  and 
fustian,  which  now  pass,  unhappily,  with  many,  as  the  only 
language  of  patriotism  and  the  genuine  evangely  of  the  rights 
of  man.  It  would,  upon  occasions  of  national  solemnity  or 
rejoicing,  make  teachers  and  counsellors  of  our  statesmen, 
instead  of  flatterers  merely,  as,  for  the  most  part,  now  they 
are.  It  would  have  spared  us  the  recent  triumphal  march 
of  Hungarian  propagandism  over  our  national  dignity  and 
self-respect. 


VII. 

The  Executive:  and  Judiciary. — Juries  and  the  Trial  by  Jury, 

IN  view  of  the  substantial  influence  which  the  Spanish 
executive  has  been  shown  to  possess  and  exercise  over 
the  legislature,  and  through  it  over  all  the  details  of  govern- 
ment, it  would  seem  hardly  worth  while  to  analyse  the  func- 
tions which,  on  the  face  of  the  constitution,  legitimately  belong 
to  the  monarch.  These,  nevertheless,  in  themselves,  are  quite 
as  extensive  and  various  as  would  seem  compatible  with  the 
notion  of  a  limited  monarchy. 

The  Queen  is  irresponsible,  and  her  person  is  inviolable. 
The  royal  dignity  is  hereditary  in  her  line.  She  is  the 
fountain  of  justice,  which  is  administered  in  her  name.  She 
has  the  power  to  convoke  the  Cortes,  suspend  and  close  their 
sessions,  and  dissolve  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  at  will, — sub- 
ject only  to  the  obligation,  in  the  last  case,  of  calling  together 
a  new  legislature  within  three  months  after  such  dissolution. 
Through  her  ministers,  she  may  introduce  projects  of  laws 
for  the  consideration  of  the  Cortes,  and  she  may  not  only 
refuse  her  sanction  to  a  law,  but  thereby  prevent  its  revival 
during  the  session  of  the  legislature  in  whicli  it  mav  have 
arisen.  This  last  result,  however,  can  be  equally  well  attained 
by  the  dissent  of  either  house  from  a  law  originating  in  the 

53 


54  SPAI2i. 

other,  so  that  the  Senate  may  relieve  her  Majesty,  if  need  be, 
from  the  necessity  of  interposing  her  prerogative  in  cases 
where  it  would  be  unpopular  or  impolitic.  The  promulga- 
tion and  execution  of  all  the  laws  are  her  especial  duties,  and 
in  the  performance  of  the  latter  she  has  the  right  to  issue  such 
orders,  decrees,  and  instructions  as  may  seem  meet  to  her. 
In  practice,  this  enables  her  to  explain,  modify,  amplify,  or 
nullify,  very  much  at  discretion.  She  is  the  arbiter  of  war 
and  peace,  and  distributes  and  disposes  of  the  army  at  her 
will.  She  directs  and  regulates  commercial  and  diplomatic 
relations  ;  coins  money  ;  pardons  criminals ;  and  has  the  uncon- 
trolled disposition  of  all  officers  and  honors.  She  needs  the 
assent  of  the  Cortes,  however,  to  any  alienation  of  the  national 
territory,  and  she  cannot,  without  their  permission,  admit 
foreign  troops  into  the  kingdom,  ratify  commercial  treaties 
or  offensive  alliances,  make  any  stipulations  for  the  pay- 
ment of  subsidies,  or  abdicate  the  crown  in  favor  of  her 
immediate  successor. 

The  amount  of  the  royal  income  is  fixed  by  the  Cortes  at 
the  beginning  of  each  reign.  Her  present  Majesty  has  cer- 
tainly no  reason  to  complain  of  her  loyal  people  in  that 
particular,  since  her  annual  endowment  is  thirty-four  millions 
of  reals,  equal  to  one  million  seven  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
over  and  above  the  royal  patrimony,  which  is  immense,  and 
with  which  the  legislature  has  nothing  to  do.  The  King 
Consort,  whose  majesty  is  merely  titular,  and  who  has  no 
concern  whatever  with  the  government,  has  a  yearly  stipend 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars.  That  of  the 
Queen  Mother  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars, 
in  addition  to  the  immense  private  fortune  which  she  has 


SPAIN.  65 

acquired  through  her  connection  with  the  Spanish  throne. 
The  rest  of  the  royal  family,  embracing  the  Duchess  of  Mont- 
pensier  and  the  remoter  collateral  branches,  have  three  hundred 
and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  per  annum  among  them, 
making  two  million  two  hundred  and  ninety-five  thousand 
dollars,  in  all,  according  to  the  official  p?'esupuesto,  or  budget, 
for  1850,  which  is  lying  before  me. 

The  judicial  department,  by  its  constitutional  organization, 
is  not  likely  to  be  much  of  a  clog  to  the  prerogatives,  direct 
and  indirect,  which  the  monarch  is  so  liberally  paid  for  exer- 
cising. The  judges  are  appointed  by  the  crown,  their  number 
and  functions  being  regulated  by  law.  Except  in  extra- 
ordinary and  enumerated  cases,  the  determination  of  causes, 
civil  and  criminal,  is  committed  to  the  Alcaldes;  the  judges 
of  Primera  Instancia,  or  primary  jurisdiction ;  the  territorial 
Audiencias ;  and  the  Supreme  Tribunal  of  Justice.  An 
appeal  lies,  generally  speaking,  from  the  court  in  which 
proceedings  are  instituted,  to  that  which  stands  next  above 
it,  in  the  order  in  which  I  have  enumerated  them.  In  some 
suits,  if  the  litigants  please  and  can  live  long  enough,  they 
may  chase  justice  through  the  covers  and  preserves  of  the 
whole  judicial  establishment.  Ecclesiastics,  in  many  cases, 
and  those  engaged  in  the  military  and  naval  services,  have 
their  separate  tribunals  and  fueros,  or  privileges.  Commer- 
cial causes  are  also  heard  by  special  courts,  whose  jurisdiction 
and  decisions  are  prescribed  and  regulated  by  a  separate  code. 
Besides  these,  there  are  many  exceptional  jurisdictions  and 
privileges  of  forum,  which  are  annexed  to  particular  stations 
and  classes,  so  that,  if  legal  tribunals  be,  as  Carlyle  has  said, 
but  "chimnevs  for  the  deviltry  and  contention  of  men  to 


56  SPAIN. 

escape  by/'  Madrid  ought  certainly  to  smoke  like  Birming- 
ham. By  the  official  report,  published  at  the  beginning  of 
1850,  there  were  seven  hundred  and  twenty-seven  lawyers  in 
the  capital,  of  whom  five  hundred  and  seven  were  candidates 
for  practice.  The  population  of  the  city  being  but  little  over 
two  hundred  thousand,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that 
the  chimneys  will  not  suffer  for  want  of  fuel  or  tending. 

The  constitution  provides  that  no  judicial  officer  shall  be 
removed,  except  by  sentence  of  a  competent  tribunal,  or  sus- 
pended, unless  by  due  judicial  action,  or  a  royal  order  alleg- 
ing sufficient  cause,  with  a  view  to  prosecution.  As  before 
observed,  this  suspensory  prerogative  in  the  monarch  is  a 
complete  negation  of  all  real  independence ;  but  when  it  is 
added,  that  the  offences  committed  by  a  judge,  in  his  official 
capacity,  are  to  be  tried  by  his  next  superior, — save  in  the 
case  of  the  supreme  tribunal,  where  the  offender  is  judged  by 
his  fellows, — and  that  the  arbiter,  like  the  accused,  is  the 
appointee  of  the  crown,  and  liable  to  similar  suspension  and 
prosecution,  it  cannot  but  be  obvious  that  the  whole  judiciary 
is,  for  all  needful  purposes,  under  stringent  executive  control. 
The  noted  case  of  Diaz  Martinez,  which  was  tried  during  my 
visit,  furnished  very  satisfactory  evidence  that  the  ermine  could 
be  made  to  take  an  exceedingly  ministerial  hue.  The  prisoner 
was  charged  with  having  addressed  General  Narvaez,  by  letter, 
in  a  style  which  was  interpreted  to  signify  a  challenge.  That 
eminent  functionary  cannot  easily  be  made  afraid,  and  has,  as 
a  general  thing,  no  particular  objection  to  the  handling  of 
deadly  weapons,  if  it  occurs  to  him  ;  but  as  he  was  altogether 
"  ego  et  rex  meus,"  it  fell  little  short  of  lese-majesty  to  com- 
pass or  contrive  his  bodily  peril  or  discomfort,  against  his 


SPAIN.  57 

will, — and  the  unhappy  Martinez  was  dealt  with  accordingly. 
His  defence  was  conducted  with  characteristic  manliness  and 
ability,  by  Don  Joaquin  Francisco  Pacheco,  a  very  eminent 
jurist  and  advocate,  and  there  was  but  little  difference  of 
opinion,  as  far  as  I  could  collect,  among  professional  men  of 
all  parties,  in  regard  to  tiie  utter  illegality  and  anomalism 
of  the  proceeding.  The  Juez  de  Primera  Instancia,  however, 
who  heard  the  cause,  had  no  difficulty  in  arriving  at  a  judg- 
ment of  conviction.  I  read  his  opinion,  which  certainly  bore 
both  obsequiousness  and  absurdity  upon  its  face.  As  the 
sentence  involved  serious  pains  and  penalties,  the  case  was 
taken  to  a  higher  tribunal ;  but  it,  of  course,  is  not  easy  to 
foretell  the  result,  where  the  ways  of  justice  are  so  much  in 
the  depths  of  the  sea. 

The  trial  by  jury  has  never  been  thoroughly  incorporated 
into  the  judicial  administration  of  the  Peninsula.  Some  anti- 
quarians have  persuaded  themselves  that  they  have  discovered 
its  germ  in  the  ancient  constitutions  of  Aragon,  as  well  as  in 
some  of  the  older  codes  and  charters  of  Castile.  Distinct  evi- 
dences of  its  existence  are  said  to  appear,  particularly,  in  the 
Fuero  Juzgo  of  the  Visigoths.  It  will  be  found,  however, 
upon  examination,  that  the  provisions  which  are  relied  on 
as  in  point  do  not  approach  much  nearer  to  establishing  the 
theory  as  now  understood  and  practised  on,  than  the  initials 
of  the  "  lang  ladle  "  at  Monkbarns  to  an  inscription  of  Agri- 
cola's.  Better  proof  of  their  insufficiency  could  hardly  be 
found  than  the  very  language  used  in  the  Fuero  Juzgo,  where 
it  directs  ten  assistants  to  be  chosen  as  the  Alcalde's  coadjutors 
in  certain  cases,  "  ex  optimis,  et  nobilissimis,  et  sapientissimis." 
Such  epithets,  it  is  clear,  could  never  have  been  gravely  in- 
8 


58  SPAIN. 

tended  to  designate  jurymen,  even  in  those  days  of  primitive 
jurisprudence  and  mediaeval  Latinity.  But  let  the  antiquari- 
ans be  right  or  wrong,  as  they  may,  certain  it  is,  that  within 
the  memory  of  modern  men  nothing  like  the  trial  by  jury  has 
existed  in  Spain,  except  very  lately,  partially,  and  for  a  brief 
period.  The  constitution  of  1812  provided  for  its  future  in- 
troduction, in  case  it  should  be  deemed  advisable,  but  it  was 
not  practically  adopted  until  1822,  and  then  only  for  the  trial 
of  cases  arising  under  the  laws  which  regulated  the  press. 
Having  disappeared  in  1823,  with  the  press  and  the  consti- 
tutional system,  it  was  revived  with  them  in  1836,  and  was 
again  recognized  by  the  constitution  of  1837,  though  still  con- 
fined to  the  same  class  of  cases.  The  law  of  1844,  which 
modified  the  freedom  of  the  press  according  to  the  notions  of 
the  Moderados,  provided  a  hybridous  sort  of  jury,  with  innu- 
merable requisites  and  all  manner  of  embarrassing  parapher- 
nalia, which  must  have  made  it  unavailable  as  a  working 
thing  and  were  probably  intended  to  do  so.  The  constitution 
of  1845  has  no  jury  clause  whatever,  and  by  the  legislation  of 
that  year  all  the  lingering  traces  of  the  "  Palladium  "  were 
finally  swept  away. 

Whatever  may  be  the  course  hereafter  in  Spain  of  that 
political  amelioration  which  is  certainly  going  on,  it  is  not 
likely,  for  many  reasons,  that  the  jury  system  will  ever  become 
ingrafted  upon  theirs,  as  an  institution  of  general  scope.  We, 
whose  notions  have  been  formed  by  the  study  or  by  our  ex- 
perience of  the  common  law  of  England,  are  apt  to  consider 
the  trial  of  facts  by  laymen  as  absolutely  essential  to  the  bene- 
ficial operation  of  every  popular  or  liberal  form  of  govern- 
ment, and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  we  generally  state  our 


SPAIN.  69 

doctrine  on  the  subject  a  great  deal  too  exclusively  and  broadly. 
It  of  course  must  be  conceded,  that,  for  the  trial  of  criminal 
causes,  the  jury,  on  the  whole,  is  the  most  satisfactory  con- 
trivance which  the  ingenuity  of  men  has  thus  far  been  able 
to  devise.  Without  reference,  moreover,  to  the  subjects  of 
its  action,  the  introduction  of  so  popular  an  element  into 
the  administration  of  justice  must  necessarily  tend  to  diffuse 
among  the  community,  from  whose  ranks  the  jurors  are 
indiscriminately  taken,  a  higher  degree  of  confidence  in  the 
tribunals  of  the  law,  and  a  heartier  disposition  to  respect  and 
uphold  their  judgments.  Nothing,  of  course,  can  contribute 
more  than  such  a  result  to  the  stability  of  society  and  the 
sure  enjoyment  of  the  rights  which  lie  at  its  foundation. 

It  is  not  to  be  questioned,  on  the  other  hand,  that  imme- 
diate and  frequent  contact  with  the  system,  as  it  works,  has 
the  effect  of  notably  diminishing  our  reverence  for  it  as  a  mode 
of  arriving  at  the  truth.  It  doubtless  affords  admirable  scope 
for  the  dexterous  playing  of  that  uncertain  game,  the  law,  and 
hence  must  always  command  many  eloquent  suffrages  from 
the  professional  players.  But,  with  a  good  cause  and  no  other 
object  but  the  enforcement  of  right,  I  greatly  doubt  whether 
any  candid  man,  among  those  who  know  the  jury  system  best, 
would  hesitate  about  selecting,  in  preference  to  it,  the  inter- 
vention of  a  well-trained  and  well-educated  judge.  Where 
the  object  is  to  put  the  right  and  wrong  upon  a  level,  and  to 
take  the  chances  of  their  confusion,  I  grant  that  the  choice 
would  probably  be  different;  but  such  cases  surely  afford  no 
test.  Experience  has  taught  that  courts  of  equity  are  alto- 
gether capable  of  dealing,  justly  and  wisely,  with  the  greatest 
complications  of  fact, — so  that  issues  are  sent  from  them  to 


60  SPAIN. 

juries  in  but  few  and  peculiar  cases.  There  are,  it  may  be 
safely  said,  no  tribunals  in  our  country  whose  decisions  are 
more  uniformly  just,  or  more  universally  approved,  than  those 
of  the  federal  courts  sitting  in  admiralty  without  juries.  In 
those  States  of  the  Union,  too,  where  the  judges  are  empow- 
ered to  try  issues  of  fact  with  the  consent  of  parties,  the  large 
number  of  cases,  both  civil  and  criminal,  in  which  juries  are 
willingly  dispensed  with,  may  be  taken  as  the  best  evidence 
of  a  public  and  practical  conviction  greatly  differing  from  the 
theory  about  which  there  is  so  much  declamation.  Nor  is  it 
at  all  wonderful,  that  such  a  conviction  should  exist.  As 
juries  are  selected  and  constituted  generally,  both  in  England 
and  this  country,  their  verdicts  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  are  but 
the  results  of  voting  by  ballot  or  "  striking  an  average  " ;  and 
it  is  by  no  means  an  easy  matter  to  determine  how  often  a 
wilful  appetite,  and  an  anxious  desire  to  leave  the  unprofitable 
adjustment  of  other  men's  business  for  the  more  advantageous 
pursuit  of  their  own,  may  cause  the  majority  of  the  imprisoned 
twelve  to  select  the  promptest  conclusion  as  the  best. 

Perfect  or  imperfect,  however,  as  the  institution  may  be  in 
its  present  shape  and  operation,  it  is  with  us,  to  some  extent, 
a  sacred  thing.  It  is  surrounded  by  so  many  of  the  holiest 
associations,  and  has  fought  so  many  of  the  best  battles  of 
freedom,  that  it  is  destined  long  to  remain  a  sign  of  that  popu- 
lar security  to  which  it  is  no  longer  necessary  as  an  element 
or  a  guaranty.  With  the  Spaniards,  however,  it  has  no  such 
prestige,  and  as  it  has  never  been  a  household  god  to  them, 
there  seems  no  particular  reason  why  they  should  give  it  a 
place  in  their  inner  worship,  as  we  do  in  ours.  The  very 
familiar  and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  laws  and  customs  of 


SPAIN.  61 

England,  which  many  of  their  most  intelligent  and  influential 
statesmen  have  acquired  during  long  years  of  exile  in  that 
land  of  European  asylum,  will  most  probably  secure,  in  time, 
the  introduction  of  the  trial  by  jury,  to  such  an  extent  and  in 
such  cases  as  may  accord  with  the  best  features  of  their  own 
venerable  jurisprudence.  They  may  be  enabled  thus  to  strike 
the  happy  medium  between  the  subserviency  of  judges  to 
power  and  wealth,  and  that  dread  of  public  passion  and  defer- 
ence to  popular  opinion,  which  too  often  make  the  jury-room 
but  an  echo  of  the  press  and  of  the  voices  that  cry  aloud  in 
the  streets. 


yiii. 

JtJBISPRUDENCE. — CODES. — CoLONIAI,  SYSTEM, — ADMINISTRATION  OF  JUS- 
TICE.— EscRiBANOs. — Judges. — The  Legal  Profession. 

nVTOTWITHSTANDING  the  very  formidable  expansion 
-i-^  which  is  frequently  ascribed  to  the  Spanish  jurispru- 
dence, it  is  really  condensed  within  limits  which  appear  ex- 
tremely moderate,  to  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  ordinary 
copiousness  of  popular  legislation.  The  codes  into  which  it 
has  been  shaped  are,  it  is  true,  voluminous  enough,  but  those 
of  them  which  are  of  common  and  practical  application  can 
easily  be  mastered,  with  reasonable  industry.  Let  other  evils 
be  what  they  may,  the  judges  are  not  reduced  to  the  necessity 
of  toiling  through  innumerable  reports  and  the  varying  opin- 
ions of  judicial  legislators  and  expounders, — sages  sometimes, 
dolts  and  doubters  often, — in  order  to  excogitate  what  they 
can  from  prior  cogitations,  which  are  not  the  less  authoritative 
because  they  are  in  great  part  contradictory.  It  is  reserved 
for  the  freest  and  most  enlightened  of  the  nations  to  rejoice  in 
such  judicial  precision  and  philosophy  as  that  amounts  to,  and 
gravely  to  set  it  up  for  men  to  worship,  as  "  the  perfection  of 
reason."  Since  the  Goddess  of  Reason,  in  the  French  Revo- 
lution, there  has  not  probably  existed  a  deity  bearing  the  name 
with  a  less  reputable  character  or  more  flimsy  pretensions, 
62 


SPAIN.  63 

The  Novisima  Recopilacion,  published  by  Charles  the  Fourth 
in  1806,  is  the  most  recent  digest  of  the  Spanish  law,  and  is 
binding  in  all  cases  not  affected  by  subsequent  legislation.  It 
had  for  a  nucleus  the  Nueva  Recopilacion  of  Philip  the  Second, 
(sometimes  called  the  Recopilacion,  simply,)  and  may,  perhaps, 
be  more  properly  considered  as  but  the  latest  edition  of  that 
great  code,  with  the  intermediate  enactments  and  judicial  ex- 
positions incorporated.  The  more  ancient  jurisprudence  of 
Castile  is,  however,  the  basis  of  these  later  works,  and  the 
antique  codes  have  therefore  some  authority  still, — not  merely 
as  illustrating  the  modern  text,  but  as  operative,  of  themselves, 
in  cases  not  otherwise  provided  for.  The  Novisima  Recopila- 
cion, by  a  special  provision,  determines  the  order  in  which  the 
codes  shall  bind, — giving  preference,  among  the  more  ancient, 
to  the  Fud'o  Real,  which  was  promulgated  in  1255  by  Alfonso 
the  Wise ;  next  admitting  the  Fueros  Munici'pales,  or  munici- 
pal charters  of  right,  from  time  to  time  recognized  or  granted 
by  Saint  Ferdinand  and  his  more  immediate  successors;  and 
resting  finally  upon  the  Siete  Pariidas,  which,  though  pre- 
pared under  the  supervision  of  Alfonso  the  Wise,  were  not 
published  till  long  after  his  death,  during  the  reign  of  Alfonso 
the  Eleventh. 

Since  the  promulgation  of  the  Novisima  Recopilacion,  there 
has  been  no  collection  of  the  laws  printed,  which  approximates 
or  pretends  to  completeness.  The  decrees  of  Ferdinand  the 
Seventh  and  of  the  different  Cortes  are,  it  is  true,  readily  ac- 
cessible in  print;  but  many  radical  changes  have  been  wrought, 
by  special  orders,  resolutions,  and  interpretations,  which  lie 
buried  for  the  most  part  so  deeply  in  the  executive  archives, 
that,  for  all  purposes  of  general  information,  they  had  as  well 


64  SPAIN. 

been  affixed  to  the  top  of  the  old  tyrant's  column.  Indeed, 
the  whole  system  of  administration  has  undergone  so  many 
shocks  and  revolutions  during  the  present  century,  that  it  is 
not  always  easy  to  determine  the  precise  location  even  of  the 
archives  themselves,  through  which  the  course  of  any  particu- 
lar legislation  is  to  be  traced.  So  many  councils  have  been 
modified,  abolished,  and  recreated  with  new  functions,  and  the 
duties  of  all  and  each  have  been  so  often  altered  and  trans- 
ferred, that,  even  after  ascertaining  the  date  and  origin  of  a 
decree  or  order,  it  is  next  to  impossible,  often,  to  discover  in 
what  vortex  of  the  documentary  chaos  the  authoritative  origi- 
nal may  be  revolving.  Fortunately,  the  cases  in  which  this 
uncertainty  and  difficulty  exist  are  for  the  most  part  adminis- 
trative or  merely  political,  so  that  the  ordinary  course  of  pub- 
lic justice  is  not  often  obstructed  or  obscured  thereby. 

So  large  a  portion  of  territory  on  this  continent,  belonging 
once  to  Spain,  has  now  become  attached  to  the  American 
Union,  that  it  may  not  be  altogether  out  of  place  in  this  con- 
nection to  notice  briefly  the  Spanish  colonial  jurisprudence. 
The  laws  governing  "the  Indies" — by  which  title  all  the  dis- 
coveries in  both  hemispheres  are  comprehended — were  always 
wholly  separate  from  the  main  body  of  domestic  legislation. 
In  1511  Ferdinand  the  Catholic  created  the  Supreme  Council 
of  the  Indies,  to  which  he  gave,  under  the  royal  supervision 
only,  the  entire  control  of  the  colonies,  in  all  matters,  legisla- 
tive, executive,  ecclesiastical,  and  judicial.  Charles  the  Fifth, 
in  1524,  in  some  degree  modified  the  form  of  this  almost  sove- 
reign body,  but  the  ordinances  for  its  regulation  were  not 
given  to  the  world,  with  any  completeness,  until  1636,  during 
the  reign  of  Philip  the  Fourth.     In  1658  a  small  number  of 


SPAIN.  65 

its  decrees  and  acts  were  published.  In  1680  Charles  the 
Second  had  the  glory  of  promulgating  the  gigantic  work  called 
the  Recopilacion  de  las  Leyes  de  Indias, — a  complete  body  of 
jurisprudence,  which,  although  modified  from  time  to  time,  and 
not  always  wisely,  is  still  the  main  depository  of  colonial 
right.  Where,  by  chance,  it  may  be  silent  or  have  become 
inoperative,  the  vigorous  old  legislation  of  Castile  fills  up  the 
chasm. 

Those  who  judge  of  the  merits  of  the  Recopilacion  de  Indian 
solely  from  the  results  of  the  civilization  which  it  was  intended 
to  direct,  will  do  but  poor  justice  to  the  most  complete  and 
comprehensive  scheme  of  colonial  government  which  the  world 
has  ever  known.  Although,  no  doubt,  greatly  defective  in 
many  particulars,  and  tinctured  most  prejudicially  with  the 
errors  in  political  economy  which  were  peculiar  to  the  times, 
the  Recopilacion  bears  all  about  it  evidences  of  the  most  far- 
seeing  wisdom,  the  most  laborious  and  comprehensive  investi- 
gation and  management  of  details,  and  a  spirit  of  enlightened 
humanity  not  easily  to  be  exceeded.  That,  with  these  char- 
acteristics, it  should  have  been  practically  so  complete  a  fail- 
ure, seems  at  first  sight  somewhat  paradoxical,  but  historians 
have  given  many  good  reasons  for  it,  which  are  obvious 
enough,  though  it  would  be  foreign  to  my  purpose  to  repeat 
them.  There  was  one  fundamental  error, — an  error  rather  of 
the  system  than  of  the  code, — which  would  suffice,  of  itself,  to 
account  for  all  the  consequences  that  have  ensued;  I  mean  the 
idea  that  colonies  could  be  nursed  into  great  nations  and  yet 
preserved  as  colonies.  It  was  upon  this  impossibility  that  the 
Recopilacion  was  stranded.  Its  municipal  regulations,  its  laws 
controlling  territorial  acquisition  and  descent,  its  whole  com- 
9 


66  SPAIN. 

mercial  plan  and  political  economy,  bad  but  tbe  single  purpose 
of  building  up  empires,  to  be  yet  dependent  upon  the  mother 
country.  The  prosperity  of  the  colonies,  even  as  colonies,  was 
thus  rendered  impossible.  If  they  took  a  step  forward,  it 
was  with  a  chain  and  a  clog  on  their  feet.  They  were  kept 
for  a  long  time,  it  is  true,  from  being  independent,  but  they 
were  prevented,  during  all  the  time,  from  growing  vigorous 
or  great.  When  they  became  free,  at  last,  it  was  through 
the  weakness  of  the  metropolis,  and  not  through  their  own 
strength.  They  escaped  from  being  governed  by  others,  but 
they  did  not  know,  nor  have  they  yet  learned,  how  to  govern 
themselves.  If  it  had  been  the  order  of  Providence  that  chil- 
dren should  be  children  always,  the  Spanish  system  had  cer- 
tainly been  successful,  for  it  was  wise  to  that  end.  As  Provi- 
dence has  otherwise  ordained  the  nature  of  men  and  nations, 
the  introduction  of  so  unnatural  a  basis  made  all  its  wisdom 

folly. 

Of  the  decrees  and  other  enactments  which  have  been  passed 
and  promulgated  since  the  Recopilaoion  de  Indlas,  there  is  no 
collection  whatever  extant,  and  the  most  learned  of  the  colo- 
nial jurisconsults  are  only  familiar  or  unfamiliar  with  them  by 
comparison.  In  the  enlightened  reign  of  Charles  the  Third, 
an  attempt  was  made  to  digest  a  new  code  out  of  all  the  then 
existing  materials;  but  although  the  work  was  prosecuted 
nearly  to  its  conclusion  in  the  following  reigns,  and  was  in 
1819  ready  for  the  press,  to  which  it  was  on  the  point  of  being 
given,  it  disappeared  altogether  during  the  subsequent  revo- 
lutions, and  there  is  now  no  trace  whatever  of  the  digest  itself, 
or  of  the  multitudinous  and  valuable  documents  collected  for 
its  preparation.    It  may  be  lying,  for  aught  that  the  best  law- 


SPAIN.  67 

yer  in  Madrid  can  tell,  among  the  rubbish  in  the  garret  of  a 
neglected  archivo,  or  have  been  sold  by  the  arroba  to  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  book-stall,  to  be  retailed  at  a  real  or  a  dollar  the 
volume,  according  to  the  vender's  theory  of  the  purchaser's 
curiosity  and  pocket. 

Under  the  ministry  of  the  Marquis  of  Sonora,  in  1786, 
there  was  a  collection  of  ordinances  published,  for  the  estab- 
lishment and  regulation  of  Intendancies  in  New  Spain.  These 
were  in  time  extended  to  the  rest  of  the  colonies,  so  far  as  they 
were  applicable.  The  general  ordinance  for  the  government 
of  colonial  Intendants,  which  saw  the  light  in  1803,  and  was 
the  result  of  much  labor  and  ability,  was,  by  a  strange  caprice, 
revoked  almost  entirely  in  1804,  and  is  now  but  partially  ope- 
rative in  any  particular.  The  Council  of  Indies  was  abolished 
by  the  Cortes  of  1812.  It  was  too  princely  an  establishment, 
as  it  stood,  for  a  limited  monarchy.  It  was,  however,  rees- 
tablished by  Ferdinand  the  Seventh  in  1814,  but  fell  again 
in  1820,  upon  the  re-proclamation  of  the  constitution,  was  re- 
stored in  1823,  and  finally  suppressed  in  1834.  Its  functions 
are  now  distributed  among  the  several  executive  departments. 
Those  who  are  best  informed  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  that,  prop- 
erly modified,  the  Council  would  have  been  an  invaluable  ad- 
ministrative agent  under  any  system,  and  that  its  destruction 
has  put  an  end  for  the  present  to  that  politic  and  comprehen- 
sive unity,  without  which  there  cannot  be  much  scope  or  effi- 
cacy in  any  scheme  of  colonial  government. 

Of  the  administration  of  justice  in  Spain,  a  great  deal  has 
been  said  by  writers  of  all  classes,  foreign  and  domestic ;  but 
nothing  particularly  complimentary,  that  I  have  ever  seen. 
How  far  the  evils  of  the  system  continue  to  be  oppressive  at 


68  SPAIN. 

the  present  time,  I  had  no  opportunity  of  knowing,  except 
from  hearsay,  which  did  not  leave  any  favorable  impressions. 
The  escribano,  the  clerk  or  notary, — a  sort  of  judicial  go- 
between, — is,  on  all  hands,  conceded  to  be  the  chief  nuisance 
in  the  details  of  the  system.  Every  picture  that  is  painted 
of  the  law's  delay  and  of  the  costly  injustice  for  which  men 

curse  it,  has  for  its  chief  figure 

"el  escribano, 

Con  semblante  infernal  y  pluma  en  mano." 

The  suitor  who  unhappily  is  forced  to  seek  the  aid  of  Themis 
employs  a  procm^ador,  a  sort  of  inferior  attorney,  to  prepare 
a  statement  of  his  grievance.  This  passes  to  an  escribano, 
through  whose  hands  it  goes  to  the  tribunal  having  jurisdic- 
tion ;  and  when  it  has  received  the  proper  attention  there,  it 
returns  to  the  escribano,  who  gives  the  needful  direction  of 
process  or  notice  to  the  adverse  party.  The  defendant's  reply 
passes  up  to  the  bench,  through  the  escribano,  and  finds  its 
way  by  the  same  channel  to  the  plaintiff, — whose  replication, 
in  its  turn,  performs  the  same  voyage.  Thus  the  matter  pro- 
ceeds, until  each  party  has  alleged  all  that  he  has  to  say, — the 
escribano  of  course  taking  toll  every  time  that  he  opens  the 
gate,  or  allows  either  party  to  look  over  the  fence  within 
which  he  keeps  justice  impounded.  All  the  testimony  goes 
up  in  the  shape  of  declarations  made  before  the  escribano,  and 
reduced  by  him  to  writing.  Every  document  of  record  is 
copied  by  some  escribano  from  his  archives.  Indeed,  there  is 
nothing  which  concerns  the  case,  in  law  or  in  fact,  of  which 
the  escribano  is  not  the  conductor,  from  the  judge  to  the  part- 
ies and  from  the  parties  to  the  judge  and  to  each  other.  How 
completely  all  are  dependent  upon  his  good  faith,  and  how 


SPAIN.  69 

conveniently  he  can  make  a  fortune, — not  merely  out  of  bis 
honest  perquisites,  but  by  an  advantageous  use  of  his  good 
will  and  opportunities, — the  least  ingenious  of  the  sons  of 
men  may  readily  imagine. 

In  further  illustration  of  the  extent  to  which  the  rights  of 
the  community  depend  upon  the  honesty  and  pleasure  of  these 
scribes,  it  is  but  necessary  to  state  that  they  are  the  deposi- 
taries of  all  testamentary  records,  and  of  all  deeds  and  con- 
tracts whatever  which  are  required  to  be  in  writing.  A  man 
desirous  of  making  his  will  gives  his  instructions  to  any  escri- 
bano  he  may  select,  who  prepares  the  instrument,  which  the 
testator  executes  before  him  with  all  the  formalities.  The 
escribano  retains  the  original,  which  of  course  he  is  bound  to 
keep  secret  during  the  life  of  the  testator.  Whether  he  ob- 
serves that  obligation  or  not  depends  upon  his  integrity,  and 
the  liberality  of  the  parties  who  may  desire  to  penetrate  the 
mysteries  of  the  future.  If  he  chooses  to  play  false,  he  need 
never  be  found  out.  With  deeds  and  contracts  the  same  mode 
of  preparation  and  registry  is  observed, — the  parties  being 
furnished  at  the  time  with  copies  if  they  require  them ;  the 
originals  remaining  with  the  esG7'ibano,  until  his  death  or  dis- 
qualification, and  passing  then  to  his  successor.  Each  escri- 
bano is,  by  law,  required  to  remit  to  the  Audiencia  of  his  dis- 
trict, once  in  each  year,  a  copy  of  the  index  to  his  records 
made  during  that  period.  The  ojicio  de  hipotecas,  or  mortgage 
office,  in  each  district,  is  likewise  annually  furnished  with  ab- 
stracts of  all  encumbrances  affecting  real  property.  Xo  doubt 
some  check  is  thus  provided  upon  the  perpetration  of  gross 
fraud,  and  yet  the  suppression  of  an  occasional  document,  in 
both  index  and  abstract,  could  be  so  easily  managed  and  might 


70  SPAIN. 

be  so  profitable,  that  there  can  scarcely  be  said  to  exist  any 
real  security,  while  the  muniments  of  title  are  in  so  many 
hands,  and  secrecy  and  divided  responsibility  afford  so  much 
opportunity  and  temptation. 

Nor  must  it  be  supposed  that  in  any  case  a  man  can  enter 
a  public  or  notarial  archivo  and  search  the  records  himself. 
Profane  hands  cannot  be  allowed  to  violate  the  sanctity  of  the 
official  books  or  bundles,  and  the  party  who  institutes  an 
inquiry  is  compelled  to  be  satisfied  with  the  accuracy  and 
fidelity  of  the  escribanos  in  making  the  searches,  and  their 
candor  in  communicating  the  result.  When  you  have  ascer- 
tained at  last  the  existence  and  location  of  a  document  with 
which  it  interests  you  to  become  better  acquainted,  the  escri- 
bano  will  permit  you  to  read  it  or  not,  according  to  his  polite- 
ness and  your  persuasiveness.  If  you  desire  a  copy,  you  must 
present  a  petition  therefor  to  a  Jaez  de  Primera  Instancia, 
through  another  escribano,  and  when  you  have  procured  an 
order, — which  you  cannot  always  do  without  notice  to  other 
parties  in  interest,  and  perhaps  a  contest  with  them  of  indefi- 
nite duration, — you  serve  it  on  your  original  escribano,  and 
are  gratified.  If  the  record  be  that  of  a  will,  the  juez  will 
not  allow  you  to  have  a  copy  or  an  extract,  unless  you  are  an 
heir  at  law  or  a  devisee.  If  you  are  fortunate  enough  to  fill 
either  of  these  characters,  you  are  allowed  a  copy  of  the  clause 
which  affects  you,  preceded  with  due  solemnity  by  the  formal 
exordium,  wherein  the  testator  makes  profession  of  faith,  tells 
the  names  and  genealogy  of  his  father  and  mother,  and  dis- 
poses of  his  soul  and  his  body.  The  whole  instrument  you 
will  not  be  permitted  to  have  transcribed  except  under  extra- 
ordinary circumstances.     You  cannot  need  such  a  transcript, 


SPAIN.  71 

they  suppose,  except  for  hostile  purposes,  and  for  such  they 
feel  under  no  obligation  to  afford  you  facilities.  This  system, 
doubtless,  has  many  evils,  but  it  has  at  least  the  good  result, 
that  the  "  upsetting  "  of  wills  is  not  very  frequent  in  Spain, 
and  a  testator  is  not  often  declared  non  compos,  because  he 
happens  to  have  had  some  notions  as  to  the  disposition  of  his 
own  property  differing  from  those  of  his  neighbors  and  his 
heirs  at  law. 

The  escribano  gives  his  certificate  under  his  hand  and  sign, 
"  signo"  instead  of  a  seal.  The  signo  is  the  apex  of  an  im- 
mense and  elaborate  flourish,  or  rubrica,  which  terminates  as 
to  its  upper  parts  in  a  cross  made  with  the  pen ; — that  sacred 
"  sign  "  giving  solemnity  to  the  authentication.  Each  notary, 
on  his  appointment,  writes  the  rubrica  and  signo  which  he 
intends  to  adopt,  and  leaves  them  with  the  "college"  to  which 
he  belongs.  From  the  specimen  of  his  penmanship  thus 
adopted  he  never  varies,  and  it  is  really  curious  to  see  how 
the  identity  of  the  hieroglyphic  is  preserved,  from  the  firm, 
bold  draft  of  it  in  youth,  to  the  trembling  fac-simile  in  that 
old  age,  which  notaries,  like  all  place-holders,  are  sure,  under 
Providence,  to  reach.  When  any  instrument,  with  the  certifi- 
cate of  an  escribano,  requires  to  be  formally  proved,  three 
notaries  of  the  "  college,"  under  their  hands  and  signs  and  the 
seal  of  the  corporation,  authenticate  the  signature  and  sign  of 
their  brother.  A  Juez  de  Primei'a  Instancia  authenticates  the 
certificate  of  the  three  notaries ;  the  Regent  of  the  Audiencia 
certifies  to  the  Juez;  the  Minister  of  Grace  and  Justice,  who 
is  the  chief  notary  of  the  realm,  authenticates  the  Regent ;  the 
Secretary  of  Foreign  Affairs  indorses  the  ]\Iiuistcr,  if  the  copy 
is  to  be  used  in  evidence  abroad,  and  the  diplomatic  repre- 


72  SPAIN. 

sentative  of  the  nation  for  which  it  is  intended  puts  the  last 
stone  on  the  house  that  Jack  built.  By  the  time  that  the  fees 
of  the  certifiers,  and  the  jproeurador  who  obtained  the  certifi- 
cates, have  been  paid,  the  evidence  may,  it  is  true,  be  worth 
nothing,  but  it  will  be  sure  to  have  cost  enough. 

Report  says  that  judges  in  Spain  are  not  altogether  deaf  to 
those  convincing  arguments  which  have  the  ring  of  metal  in 
them,  but  I  have  no  doubt  that  there  is  a  great  deal  of  exag- 
geration in  all  such  stories.  Where  a  man  cannot  give  judg- 
ment in  favor  of  both  parties,  he  must  needs  displease  one, 
who  naturally  enough  takes  him  to  be  in  some  sort  a  fool  or 
a  knave;  and  as  the  amount  and  nature  of  a  judge's  folly  are 
not  quite  so  comprehensible  to  the  unlearned  as  knavery  is, 
the  latter  is  made  to  bear  the  principal  burden  of  the  supposed 
injustice.  The  publicity  of  all  proceedings  under  the  common 
law,  and  the  hourly  challenge  which  the  judgments  of  courts 
receive  from  those  who  are  competent  to  give  it,  are  a  barrier, 
in  a  great  degree,  to  such  suspicions,  and  certainly  tend  to 
prevent  there  being  much  cause  for  them.  The  comparative 
secrecy  and  silence  through  which  men  walk  to  judgment  in 
Spain,  leaves  room,  on  the  other  hand,  for  much  questioning 
of  motive,  and  as  surely  increases  the  possibility  and  conse- 
quent likelihood  of  its  being  just.  Certain  it  is,  that  the 
Spanish  judges  do  not  hold  themselves  aloof,  as  with  us  judi- 
cial delicacy  prompts,  from  the  personal  influence  and  private 
suggestions  of  parties.  A  well-timed  present,  and  the  judi- 
cious application  of  that  personal  courtesy  and  attention,  which 
go  farther  with  a  Spaniard  than  with  any  other  man,  are  not 
considered  as  by  any  means  unwelcome  or  out  of  place.  When 
I  was  in  Seville,  in  1847,  one  of  my  pleasantest  companions 


SPAIN.  73 

was  an  old  gentleman  from  Granada,  who  had  come  down,  he^ 
told  me,  to  superintend  a  j)leito,  or  lawsuit,  of  a  friend  of  his, 
whicli  was  then  about  to  be  decided.  He  was  not  a  profes- 
sional man,  and  his  errand  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  con- 
duct of  the  case,  except  as  to  the  extra-forensic  part  of  it. 
Every  morning,  after  breakfast,  he  would  make  his  appear- 
ance, niuy  peripuesto,  well  brushed,  shaven,  and  accoutred,  for 
a  visit  to  the  judges.  "Of  course,"  I  said,  "you  never  men- 
tion the  suit  to  them?"  "Ave  Maria  purisima!"  was  the 
reply,  "are  you  dreaming?  Do  you  think  I  came  all  the  way 
from  Granada,  para  hacer  cortedas,  to  make  bows?"  He 
then  told  me  that,  of  course,  he  presented  his  views  to  their 
honors  very  much  at  large.  "  But  do  you  present  any  thing 
else  ?  "  "  Quien  sabe  ?  who  knows  ?  "  was  the  satisfactory 
reply.  If  my  friend's  opponents  were  as  attentive  and  prac- 
tical as  he,  the  judges  may  well  be  suspected  of  having  been 
like  the  false  lawyer  in  the  "  Dance  of  the  Dead," — 

"  Don  falso  Abogado,  prevalicador, 
Que  de  amas  las  partes  levastes  salario ! " 

Of  the  members  of  the  legal  profession  it  would  be  altogether 
unfair  to  judge  by  the  current  scandal,  for  every  one  knows 
how  sadly  men's  sorry  wits  have  made  havoc  with  that 
devoted  and  exemplary  class,  in  all  ages  and  countries.  It  is 
singular,  too,  by  the  way,  how  popular  such  attacks  have 
always  been.  The  traveller  who  has  visited  Rome  will  of 
course  remember  the  depository  of  the  dead  which  rises  on  a 
little  hill  beside  the  Appian  Way,  and  is  called  the  Colum- 
barium of  Hylas  and  Vitalina.  It  is  in  perfect  preservation 
or  restoration,  and  the  urns  and  vases  are  probably  in  the 
10 


74  SPAIN. 

same  state  and  positions  in  which  they  were  placed,  when  each 
tenant  of  the  spot  went  to  his  home.  Over  each  little  niche 
is  the  name  of  the  proprietor,  engraven  on  a  simple  slab  of 
white  marble,  with  sometimes  a  posy  or  brief  sentiment.  I 
was  struck  with  one  epitaph,  which  I  have  never  seen  alluded 
to  in  print.     It  ran  thus  : — 

"c^saeis  lusok. 

Mtjtus  Aegutus.    Imitator.    Tiberi  C^saeis  Augttsti. 

Qui  Primum  ustvtenit  Causidicos  imitari." 

As  it  was  a  professional  relic  I  copied  it.  The  fellow,  who 
would  otherwise  in  all  probability  have  had  his  ashes  funnelled 
into  a  small  and  nameless  vase,  for  a  mere  king's  fool  as  he 
was,  was  handed  down  to  immortality  because  he  was  the 
first  "  who  invented  imitating  lawyers."  Peace  be  to  his 
manes,  notwithstanding  !  There  have  been  greater  fools,  since 
his  day,  who  have  found  their  way  into  niches  of  their  liking, 
by  turning  into  a  text  of  popular  morality  and  profitable 
denunciation  what  Mutus  Argutus  treated  as  a  joke  ! 

The  members  of  the  Spanish  bar  with  whom  I  was  brought 
into  personal  contact  were  certainly  for  the  most  part  men  of 
high  intelligence,  learning,  and  accomplishments.  The  major- 
ity of  them,  it  is  true,  were  devoted  to  political  pursuits, — 
indeed  almost  all  the  high  political  positions  were  occupied 
either  by  lawyers  or  military  men ;  but  the  practice  of  the 
profession  is  conducted  in  a  manner  which  gives  more  leisure 
— not  merely  for  professional  accomplishment,  but  for  general 
cultivation  and  the  pursuit  of  reputation  in  other  walks — than 
an  American  lawyer  can  readily  conceive.  All  the  written 
pleadings  and  their  conduct  are  the  work  of  the  procuradores, 


SPAIN.  75 

or  attorneys,  who  only  trouble  counsel  for  advice,  relieving 
them  from  all  the  drudgery  and  mechanical  details  of  litigation, 
and  enabliuo;  them  thus  to  devote  their  attention  to  those 
branches  which  are  purely  intellectual.  Among  us,  as  is  well 
known,  without  great  reputation  and  an  exceedingly  elevated 
position,  few  are  able  to  select  for  themselves  any  exclusive 
walk  of  the  profession.  A  man  is  expected  to  be  attorney, 
solicitor,  proctor,  counsel,  barrister,  and  conveyancer,  as  well 
as  property-agent  and  general  accountant,  too  happy  if  it  be 
not  his  inevitable  destiny  to  edit  a  newspaper,  or  preside  over 
a  bank  or  a  railroad  company.  As,  in  addition  to  all  this, 
every  American,  from  the  tendency  of  his  nature  and  of  our 
"  peculiar  institutions,"  must  be  a  member  of  Congress,  a  gov- 
ernor, or  a  foreign  minister,  at  some  time  of  his  life ;  and  as 
lawyers,  from  the  tendency  of  their  pursuits,  have  these  other 
tendencies  in  an  aggravated  degree,  it  follows  that  the  profes- 
sional "  mission  "  has  its  best  advantages  and  triumphs  darkly 
mingled  with  painful  and  oppressive  toil,  and  all  the  evils 
which  are  sure  to  follow  such  criminal  overtasking  of  the 
body  and  the  mind.  Welcome  be  the  civilization  which  shall 
change  these  things, — yea,  even  if  it  come  from  Spain  ! 


IX. 


The  Press. — Newspapers. — Sabtobiits. — The  Puritans. — Pacheco. — 
Party  Organs. 

THE  freedom  of  the  press,  in  Spain,  is  guarantied,  as  has 
been  seen,  by  an  express  provision  of  the  constitution, 
which  ordains  that  it  shall  suflPer  no  restrictions  but  those  to 
be  imposed  by  law.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  and  very  illustra- 
tive of  constitutional  habits  in  the  Peninsula,  that,  in  the  face 
of  so  direct  and  unequivocal  a  clause,  the  rights  of  the  citizen 
and  the  powers  of  the  government  in  1850  were  regulated,  in 
the  premises,  by  a  succession  of  decrees,  which  had  from  time 
to  time  been  promulgated  by  the  executive,  without  the  shadow 
of  legitimate  authority.  So  bold,  indeed,  was  this  assumption 
of  legislative  functions  considered  upon  all  hands,  that  Sarto- 
rius.  Count  of  San  Luis,  then  Minister  of  the  Interior,  by  way 
of  concession  to  public  opinion,  had  introduced  a  bill  into  the 
Cortes,  during  the  session  of  1848,  which  professed  to  carry 
out  the  spirit  of  the  fundamental  law.  I  did  not  see  the  pro- 
jet,  but  I  was  credibly  informed  that  it  abounded  in  excellent 
sentiments,  and  extended  unlimited  freedom  to  all  publica- 
tions in  which  there  might  be  no  discussion  of  religion  or 
morals,  politics,  manners,  or  legislation.  Bad  or  imperfect  as 
the  scheme  was  held  to  be,  it  was,  nevertheless,  but  a  tub  to 
76 


SPAIN.  77 

the  whale.  The  Minister  spoke  well  of  it  on  all  occasions, 
and  referred  to  it  as  an  evidence  of  his  zelo  y  patnotismo,  but 
was  careful  to  give  some  good  reason  always  to  the  Progre- 
sista  opposition  for  refusing  to  let  them  make  it  the  order  of 
the  day.  The  Cortes  were  dissolved  in  1850,  without  its 
having  been  submitted  to  their  action,  and  the  members  had 
hardly,  it  seems,  returned  to  their  constituents,  when  an  edict 
more  stringent  than  any  which  had  gone  before  appeared  in 
the  columns  of  the  official  Gaceta.  A  still  more  arbitrary 
one  has  since  followed. 

While  I  was  in  Madrid  it  was  a  frequent  occurrence  for  the 
whole  daily  edition  of  an  opposition  paper  to  be  seized  by  the 
police,  as  it  was  upon  the  point  of  distribution, — some  disa- 
greeable expressions  in  an  editorial  article,  perhaps,  being  the 
offence  alleged.  During  Holy  AVeek,  when  there  were  fierce 
rumors  of  dissensions  at  the  palace  and  an  impending  minis- 
terial crisis,  four  or  five  papers  were  "  recogidos  por  orden  de 
la  autoridad"  as  it  was  politely  called,  in  the  course  of  a 
single  day.  Nobody  seemed  to  think  it  at  all  remarkable, 
and  I  will  do  the  parties  who  suffered  the  justice  to  say,  that 
they  did  not  permit  it  to  diminish  the  boldness  and  pertinacity 
with  which  they  maintained  and  circulated  their  opinions. 
These  encroachments  on  the  privileges  of  the  fourth  estate 
were  made,  in  due  course,  through  the  Department  of  the 
Interior.  Sartorius  was  the  last  man  in  Spain,  perhaps,  who 
could,  consistently,  perform  such  functions.  He  had  been  a 
journalist  himself  not  long  before,  and  had  gloried  in  the 
name  of  ponodida.  He  owed  in  a  great  measure  to  that 
profession  his  elevation  to  the  power  which  he  so  abused 
against  it.     During  his  continuance  in  the  ministry,  it  was 


78  SPAIN, 

believed  that  he  still  retained  a  fondness  for  his  former 
calling,  and  there  was  a  rumor,  perhaps  scandalous,  but 
certainly  very  current,  that  those  articles  of  the  Heraldo 
which  were  most  gracious  to  his  own  measures  and  his 
parliamentary  displays  had  a  striliing  resemblance  to  his 
well-known  style. 

Sartorius  is  certainly  a  man  of  considerable  cleverness  and 
resource, — adroit,  ready,  and  not  troubled  with  many  scruples. 
In  the  Cortes,  though  he  was  too  painfully  dressed  and  but- 
toned, and  wore  gloves  too  tight  and  yellow  for  oratorical 
grace,  he  was  still  a  bold  and  efficient  debater,  full  of  point 
and  personality,  and  generally  carrying  the  war  into  the 
enemy's  country.  The  haughty  and  magisterial  tone  which 
he  assumed  was  ill  tolerated  in  one  who  was  still  a  young 
man,  and  had  but  recently  won  his  nobility  and  station,  but 
it  gave  a  certain  force  and  weight  to  what  he  said,  and  made 
it  seeming  wise,  if  not  in  fact  so.  Being  a  party  man,  in  the 
strict  and  even  the  oifensive  sense  of  the  term,  his  hand  was 
against  every  one  who  did  not  belong  to  his  fold ;  and  the 
consequence  was,  that  there  was  no  member  of  the  cabinet 
in  regard  to  whom  I  heard  expressions  of  such  general  and 
deep  ill-feeling.  This  was  perhaps  attributable  somewhat  to 
the  fact  that  his  Department,  among  the  other  internal  affairs 
of  the  realm,  was  charged  with  the  management  of  the  elec- 
tions ;  and  as  the  modes  by  which  the  return  of  the  govern- 
ment candidates  was  procured  were  often  not  of  the  choicest 
or  most  scrupulous,  the  Minister  was  necessarily  associated 
with  many  things  in  the  public  mind  which  could  not  add 
to  his  dignity  or  popularity.  He  had  a  great  hold,  however, 
upon  the  confidence  of  Narvaez,  who  no  doubt  found  him  a 


SPAIN.  79 

useful  colleague,  fruitful  in  expedients,  and  asking  few  ques- 
tions. To  his  credit  be  it  said,  that,  since  the  dissolution  of 
the  Narvaez  cabinet  and  the  disfavor  of  the  Duke,  Sartorius 
has  ever  been  the  foremost  to  defend  his  patron,  and  that, 
too,  with  a  zeal  which  he  could  not  have  surpassed,  had  the 
Duke  been  still  disjDenser,  as  of  old,  of  place  and  honors. 
The  gossips  of  the  Puerta  del  Sol  insisted,  while  I  was  among 
them,  that  the  Count  had  grown  very  rich  from  his  political 
opportunities,  and  as  Becky  Sharp  thought  she  could  be  a 
good  woman  if  she  had  five  thousand  a  year,  perhaps  he  feels 
that,  under  the  circumstances,  he  can  afford  to  be  magnani- 
mous,— especially  as  Spanish  ministers  in  Coventry  are  not 
like  the  "  vox  riiissa,"  which  "  nescit  reverti"  and  there  is  no 
knowing  the  day  nor  the  hour  when  the  Duke  of  Valencia 
may  have  his  own  again, — and  that  of  a  good  many  other 
people  besides.  It  is  hardly  fair,  however,  to  deny  to 
Sartorius — until  time  shall  prove  it  undeserved — the  con- 
sideration which  is  due  to  that  rare  virtue  among  politi- 
cians,— shall  I  say  among  men? — fidelity  to  a  fallen  and 
absent  benefactor. 

The  lively  author  of  a  late  agreeable  English  work  on  Spain  ^ 
deals  rather  harshly,  I  think,  with  the  newspaper  press  of 
Madrid.  He  laughs,  justly  enough,  at  the  French  arrange- 
ment, type,  and  taste,  which  all  the  journals  there  display, 
even  to  the  ridiculous  extent  of  devoting  the  bottom  of  every 
sheet  to  a  "folletin"  usually  crammed  with  a  translation  or  a 
paraphrase  of  some  prurient  Parisian  romance.  But  it  is 
hardly  fair,  upon  the  other  hand,  to  condemn  the  Spaniards 

^  Gazpacho :  or  Summer  Months  in  Spain, 


80  SPAIN. 

by  the  wholesale,  because  they  do  not  rival  the  Times  of 
London  or  the  Paris  Presse, — or  to  judge  of  their  standard  of 
intelligence  by  such  mistakes  as  Mr.  Clarke  selects  from  the 
letters  of  their  foreign  correspondents.  If  accuracy  in  the 
details  of  foreign  news  were  the  criterion  of  newspaper  excel- 
lence, I  am  not  sure  that  the  English  or  French  leaders,  any 
more  than  those  of  our  own  country,  would  have  much  to 
boast  of  I  know  few  things  more  amusing,  than  to  read 
some  of  the  French  and  English  paragraphs  on  American 
politics,  unless  perhaps  it  be  to  take  up  an  occasional  Amer- 
ican commentary  on  similar  matters  in  the  Old  World. 

It  would  be  a  great  end  gained  by  the  Peace  Congresses,  if 
they  could  persuade  the  editorial  corps  of  all  nations  to  learn 
and  know  some  little  about  other  countries,  before  venturing 
to  disseminate  those  crude  opinions — so  often  harsh  because 
adopted  ignorantly — which  are  the  cause  of  so  much  prejudice, 
bad  blood,  and  error.  I  do  not  really  think  that  the  Spanish 
newspapers  need  a  lesson  a  whit  more  than  their  contempor- 
aries elsewhere.  Except  in  one  particular,  which  I  shall  have 
occasion  hereafter  to  mention,  I  found  their  errors  generally 
more  amusing  than  serious,  so  far  as  allusions  to  the  United 
States  were  concerned.  Those  of  us,  for  instance,  who  were 
anxious  to  learn  the  result  of  the  long  and  discreditable  ballot- 
ing for  Speaker  which  occupied  the  House  of  Representatives 
in  1849,  were  greatly  surprised  one  day  by  the  following 
announcement  in  the  Clamor  Publico: — "Estados  Unidos.  Se 
disputaban  la  Presidencia  de  la  Camara  de  Diputados  MM. 
Wintrop,  Whig,  Mr.  Crabbe,  radical,  y  Mr.  Scattering,  del 
tercer  partido."  This,  being  interpreted,  signifies  that  "In 
the  United  States,  the  Presidency  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies 


SPAIN.  81 

was  in  dispute  between  Messrs.  VVintrop,  Whig,  Mr. 
Crobbe,  radical,  and  Mr.  Scattering,  of  the  third  party  ! " 
The  same  paper  likewise  informed  us,  not  long  after,  that 
there  was  prevailing  in  California  a  frightful  degree  of  misery, 
— so  great,  indeed,  that  the  crews  of  the  American  ships  of 
war  were  deserting  daily,  "  throwing  their  officers  overboard 
before  they  left ! " 

Penny-a-line  trifles  of  this  sort, — of  which  I  could  repeat 
many,  were  it  worth  the  pains, — the  reader  will  concur  with 
me  in  thinking,  I  am  sure,  no  conclusive  proof  of  degeneracy 
in  the  press,  especially  where,  as  at  Madrid,  less  space  is  given 
to  them  than  in  the  journals  of  any  other  country.  In  the 
political  department  of  many  of  the  Madrid  papers,  the  very 
best  abilities  of  the  nation  are  enlisted,  and  the  prominent 
articles  in  the  leading  party  organs  are  often  the  work  of  men 
whose  literature,  learning,  and  statesmanship  are  beyond  per- 
adventure.  I  had  occasion  to  know  that  the  most  distinguished 
members  of  the  Cortes  were  frequently  contributors  to  the 
papers  which  advocated  their  particular  opinions,  and  with  all 
allowance  for  the  advantages  under  which  even  commonplace 
may  appear  in  their  gorgeous  language,  I  do  not,  I  am  sure, 
exaggerate  in  saying,  that  there  were  frequent  articles  which 
for  eloquence,  boldness,  and  largeness  of  views  would  have 
done  honor  to  the  columns  of  any  newspaper  in  Europe  or 
America. 

When  Mr.  Mackenzie  was  in  Madrid,  in  1826,  to  write  his 
"  Year  in  Spain,"  he  found  but  two  papers,  the  Diario  and 
the  Gaceta.  The  former  was  a  daily  small  quarto  sheet,  which 
contained,  he  says,  "all  the  commercial  intelligence  of  the 
Spanish  capital ; "  to  wit,  the  names  of  the  saints  of  the  day, 
11 


82  SPAIN. 

with  those  of  the  churches  where  there  would  be  masses; 
advertisements  of  Bayoune  hams  and  Flanders  butter ;  with 
the  names  and  residence  of  wet-nurses  fresh  from  the  Asturias. 
The  Gaceta  was  a  tri-weekly,  and  embraced  "  all  the  literary, 
scientific,  and  political  intelligence  of  the  whole  empire."  It 
was  printed  on  a  piece  of  paper  "  somewhat  larger  than  a  sheet 
of  foolscap,"  and  its  contents  were  limited  to  an  account  of  the 
health  and  occupations  of  their  Majesties,  extracts  from  foreign 
papers  selected  and  modified  for  the  meridian,  lists  (no  very 
long  ones)  of  state  bonds  to  be  paid,  statutes  about  tithes,  and 
edicts  punishing  and  damning  free-masons  !  The  reader  may 
make  up  his  own  mind  as  to  the  fairness  of  supposing  that  the 
intelligence  and  literature  of  the  nation  were  properly  repre- 
sented by  the  organs  of  a  despotism,  which  treated  every 
demonstration  of  either  as  a  crime;  but  it  is  very  certain, 
that  Mr.  Mackenzie  has  hardly  caricatured  the  journals  which 
monopolized  the  capital  in  those  days.  It  fell  within  the 
range  of  my  duties  to  examine  the  files  of  those  which  were 
published  about  the  close  of  the  constitutional  dynasty  in  1823, 
when  the  leaders  of  the  liberal  party  had  carried  king  and 
Cortes  to  Seville  and  Cadiz,  and  it  is  due  to  history  to  say, 
that  in  regard  to  the  quantity  and  quality  of  their  matter,  and 
the  style  of  their  typography,  it  would  be  hard  to  fall  on  an 
expression  which  would  not  be  complimentary.  Down  to  the 
death  of  Ferdinand,  in  1833,  there  was,  of  course,  no  change 
possible  for  the  better,  and  the  protracted  and  uncertain  civil 
war,  which  lasted  for  ten  years  from  that  happy  epoch,  natur- 
ally enough  prevented  the  embarkation  of  capital  in  so  novel 
and  precarious  an  enterprise  as  journalism.  The  Heraldo,  the 
oldest  of  the  present  political  papers,  was  not  established  until 


SPAIN.  83 

1842,  and  it  will,  I  think,  be  justly  deemed  au  evidence  of 
no  small  progress  in  the  nation,  that,  in  February,  1850,  there 
were  thirteen  daily  papers  in  circulation  in  Madrid,  the  most 
of  them  receiving  such  encouragement  as  justified  their  contin- 
uance. Their  daily  issue,  in  all,  was  about  thirty-five  thousand 
copies,  according  to  an  estimate  which  went  the  rounds  during 
ray  visit ;  and  when  it  is  considered  that  Madrid  is,  as  has 
been  seen,  entirely  without  commerce,  and  that  the  advertising 
support,  and  the  subscriptions  consequent  thereon,  must  neces- 
sarily be  very  limited,  the  state  of  things  cannot  be  regarded 
as  other  than  extremely  satisfactory  and  promising.  The  rate 
of  subscription  to  the  most  expensive  sheets  is  very  moderate, 
in  view  of  their  almost  exclusive  dependence  upon  it.  Twelve 
reals,  or  sixty  cents,  per  month,  is  the  maximum,  and  there  is 
no  interruption  of  the  issue  on  Sundays.  The  non-subscribing 
public  are  tempted  in  the  Plaza  Mayor,  the  Puerta  del  Sol, 
and  all  other  places  of  resort,  by  news-venders  as  noisy  as  could 
be  desired,  though  perhaps  not  as  industrious.  Their  long  and 
marvellous  stories  of  the  wonders  they  are  selling  awaken 
strange  echoes  in  places  where,  so  short  a  while  ago,  it  was  a 
sin  to  think  without  permission,  and  printing  without  the 
censorship  was  held  to  be  in  some  sort  a  machination  of  the 
Devil. 

The  ministerial  organ  in  1850  was  the  Heraldo.  It  was 
edited  by  Sefior  Mora,  the  son  of  a  distinguished  writer,  then 
a  member  of  the  Cortes  from  one  of  the  Alicante  districts, 
and  an  under  secretary,  besides,  in  the  Department  of  the 
Interior.  He  was  believed  to  be  the  author  of  the  principal 
articles,  but  it  was  generally  understood  that  they  breathed 
the  inspiration  and  often  knew  the  hand  of  his  chief.     Being 


84  SPAIN. 

the  mouthpiece  of  the  government,  the  Heraldo  could  not  of 
course  be  expected  to  do  otherwise  than  approve  and  defend 
its  measures ;  but  although  this  was  often  done  with  plausi- 
bility and  force,  the  general  tone  of  the  editorials  was  so 
intensely  and  enthusiastically  laudatory,  as  to  destroy,  in  a 
great  degree,  the  effect  that  otherwise  they  might  have  had 
on  the  opinion  of  the  nation.     I  do  not  remember  to  have 
read  any  thing  more  nauseously  servile  than  some  of  them. 
The  principles  which  they  invoked  and  enforced  were  of  the 
most  retrograde  and  illiberal  character,  tending   studiously 
always,  under  the  cover  of  monarchical   reverence,  towards 
the  establishment  of  a  ministerial  despotism,  at  the  expense 
of  the  crown's  security  and   dignity,  and  the  constitutional 
rights  of  the  people.     It  was  really  curious  to  see  how  the 
organ  of  an  administration — every  member   of  which    had 
sprung  immediately  and  recently  from  the  people,  and  every 
guaranty  of  whose  ministerial  power  and  independence  had 
been  hard  won  by  popular  suffering  and  perseverance — could, 
over  and  over,  every  day,  devote  itself  to  the  most  unlimited 
denunciation  of  popular   doctrines,  and   the   most   fanatical 
advocacy  of  the  sacred  rights  of  prescription.     It  was  curi- 
ous, I  say,  but  not  astonishing ;    for  I  had  just  come  from 
France,  where  the  president  of  a  republic  which  had  sprung 
from  the   blood  of  a  revolution  had  newspapers  in  pay  to 
denounce  revolutions,  and  himself  rode  out  among  his  fellow- 
citizens  protected  by  an  escort  such  as  even  Louis  Philippe — 
so  often  shot  at — had  never  supposed  himself  to  need.     So 
true  it  is,  that  every  man   in  power  is  a  conservative,  and 
that  he  whose  interest  it  is  to  keep  is  the  natural  and  neces- 
sary enemy  of  him  whose  effort  is  to  take  ! 


SPAIN.  85 

The  Epoca,  an  afternoon  paper,  in  the  interests  of  the 
government,  was  hardly  more  than  an  echo  of  the  Ha-aldo's 
morning  jubilations. 

The  chief  opponents  of  the  administration — as  indeed  of 
the  whole  3Ioderado  system  and  dynasty — were  the  Pro- 
gresista  organs,  the  Clamor  Piiblico  and  the  Nacion, — the 
former  perhaps  the  more  orthodox ;  the  latter  representing 
more  especially  the  peculiar  opinions  of  those  members  of  the 
Cortes  who  were  called  Progradstas  Moderados,  or  moderate 
Progresistas.  I  saw  the  Clamor  more  frequently,  and  read 
it  more  carefully,  than  any  other  of  the  opposition  prints. 
Its  reputed  conductors  were  Galvez  Caflero,  a  deputy  from 
one  of  the  Malaga  districts,  and  Corradia,  who  had  consider- 
able repute  as  a  writer.  The  more  authoritative  articles 
were  believed  to  be  the  work  of  the  former,  but  the  leaders 
generally  were  extremely  creditable,  not  only  in  style  and 
taste,  but  for  their  boldness,  information,  and  manly  good 
sense.  The  Moderadoa  professed,  as  well  as  their  opponents, 
^  desire  for  the  maintenance  of  the  constitutional  monarchy, 
but  they  regarded  it  always  from  the  monarchical  or  con- 
servative, as  opposed  to  the  constitutional  or  progressive, 
point  of  view.  The  Clamor,  on  the  contrary,  without  falling 
into  the  subversive  doctrines  of  the  radical  party,  was  the 
steady  advocate  of  the  constitutional  side  of  the  question,  and 
inculcated  the  rigid  enforcement  of  constitutional  restrictions 
and  responsibilities,  and  the  development,  in  a  constitutional 
way,  of  the  more  popular  elements  of  the  state.  Its  tone  was 
invariably  resjiectful  to  the  person  and  legitimate  prerogatives 
of  royalty,  and  courteous  towards  the  individuals  in  power, 
but   its  spirit   was  perfectly  independent   under  all   circum- 


86  SPAIN. 

stances,  and  nothing  that  it  was  proper  to  say  ever  lost  force 
in  its  columns  for  want  of  being  said  both  fearlessly  and 
plainly.  When,  as  would  sometimes  happen,  an  unguarded 
paragraph  would  cause  the  suppression  of  the  morning's 
edition,  the  publishers  would  set  themselves  to  work  to  get 
out  another  forthwith,  and  the  subscribers  would  find  on  their 
tables,  only  a  few  hours  later,  the  usual  supply  of  good  doc- 
trine, made  a  little  more  piquant,  perhaps,  by  an  allusion  to 
the  "law's  delay,"  which  would  probably  occupy,  in  promi- 
nent type,  the  place  of  the  confiscated  article.  Thus  the 
government  rarely  gained  any  thing  by  its  usurpations  but 
the  opportunity  of  uselessly  asserting  its  power,  losing  ten 
times  as  much,  of  course,  from  the  moral  effect  of  opposition 
so  indomitable  and  successful. 

The  Patria,  of  which  the  author  of  "  Gazpacho "  speaks 
most  favorably,  was  an  opposition  print,  which  was  started 
by  some  members  of  the  Pur-itano  or  puritan  party.  These 
gentlemen,  it  will  be  readily  imagined,  did  not  take  their 
party  name  from  any  religious  notions,  such  as  the  word 
suggests  to  us.  They  originally  belonged  to  the  Moderado 
division,  but,  finding  that  their  associates  were  fast  becoming 
absolutists  in  principle,  and  did  little  practically  except  to 
keep  themselves  in  place, — finding  too,  perhaps,  that  those 
associates  were  in  power,  and  they  themselves  were  unlikely  to 
attain  it,  except  upon  a  different  basis, — they  "  pronounced  " 
for  a  return  to  the  older  and  genuine  Modei^ado  doctrine  of 
constitutional  conservatism.  This  assumption  of  an  especial 
purity  of  doctrine  gave  them  their  title. 

The  Puritanos  have  some  eminent  persons  among  them, 
and  their  leader,  Sr.  Pacheco,  is  one  of  the  first  men  in  Spain. 


SPAIN.  87 

I  have  referred  to  him  as  the  counsel  of  Diaz  Martinez,  and 
recur  to  him  in  this  place  because  he  was  in  private  life  when 
I  was  in  Madrid,  and  his  name  will  hardly  arise  in  any  but 
the  present  connection.     He  was  in  power  in  1847  for  a  short 
time  during  my  first  visit  to  the  Peninsula,  but  his  adminis- 
tration, though  from  many  causes  practically  a  failure,  has  not 
diminished  his  reputation  as  a  man  of  integrity  and  thought. 
A  distinguished  foreign  diplomatist — whose  opportunities  of 
knowledge  had  been  ample,  and  whose  ability  to  judge  would 
be  immediately  conceded,  were  I  to  name  him — informed  me 
that  he  considered  many  of  Pacheco's  despatches,  which  had 
passed  specially  under  his  observation,  as  equal  to  the  best 
of  M.  Guizot's.     In  his  profession  of  the  law,  Sr.  Pacheco 
stands  with  but  few  rivals  in  Madrid.     He  had  published 
several  works  upon  subjects  connected  with  it,  which  are  of 
acknowledged  authority.     In  politer  letters  he  is  also  dis- 
tinguished,— being  a  prominent  member  of  the  Academy,  and 
a  poet  of  vigor,  tenderness,  and  great  purity  and  accuracy  of 
versification.     His  prose  style  is  grave  and  stately,  like  his 
elocution,  which  is  very  impressive.      He  had  published  a 
portion  of  a  History  of  the  Regency  of  Maria  Cristina  (the 
present  Queen  Mother),  whiCh  was  regarded  as  a  work  of 
great  impartiality  and  merit ;   but  his  principal  reputation 
as  a  prose-writer  grew  out  of  his  written  discourses  and  his 
contributions  to  the  periodical  press.     His  inaugural  address, 
upon  his  introduction  to  the  Academy,  was  on  the  subject  of 
journalism,  and  a  good  many  years  of  his  life  were  devoted 
in  some  degree  to  that  profession.    It  was  thus  that  he  became 
concerned  with  the  Pcdria,  in  conjunction  with  Benavides,  a 
member  of  the  Cortes,  of  whom  I  shall  have  occasion  to 


88  SPAIN. 

speak  hereafter.  Pacheco,  however,  had  retired  from  his  con- 
nection with  the  paper  before  I  reached  Madrid,  and,  as  I 
have  said,  was  pursuing  his  avocations  as  a  private  citizen 
when  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  admitted  to  the  circle 
which  his  many  accomplishments  rendered  so  attractive.  He 
proposed  being  a  candidate  for  Ecija,  his  native  town,  in 
Andalusia,  at  the  election  for  Cortes  which  succeeded  my 
departure.  Whether  he  undertook  the  canvass,  I  have  no 
means  of  knowing;  but  I  regard  it  as  a  misfortune  to  the 
nation  that  he  was  not  on  the  list  of  those  who  were  returned. 
After  the  dissolution  which  followed  the  downfall  of  Narvaez 
in  1851,  he  was  a  successful  candidate,  and  is  now  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  Chamber  of  Deputies. 

It  would  be  hardly  worth  while  to  trace,  through  the 
diiferent  periodicals  which  represented  them,  the  varieties  of 
political  opinion  which  circumstances  and  the  ambition  of 
individuals  and  cliques  had  made  so  numerous  in  Madrid. 
The  Moderado  opposition,  who  were  in  opposition  because 
they  were  out  of  place  and  wanted  to  get  in,  by  making 
themselves  worth  bidding  for,  had  administered  de  bonis  non 
on  the  political  estate  of  the  defunct  Puritano  influence,  and 
had  thus  obtained  possession  of  the  Patria.  The  Marquis  of 
Pidal,  who  was  Minister  of  State,  had  his  personal  views 
and  those  of  his  brother-in-law,  the  noted  finance  minister, 
Sr.  Mon,  put  forth  in  the  Pais.  The  Epoca  was  another 
Moderado  press,  under  the  sway  of  Sr.  Olivan,  a  deputy  of 
many  hopes.  Queen  Cristina,  too,  kept  herself  before  the 
public,  with  her  usual  adroitness,  in  the  pensioned  columns 
of  the  Espafia.  The  Pueblo  was  democratic  and  rampant, 
though  edited  by  a  Marquis.     The  Esperanza,  on  the  other 


SPAIN.  89 

hand,  was  the  echo  of  the  high  torics,  and  the  organ  of  Carl- 
ism  and  every  thing  else  reactionary.  That  the  Carlist  organ 
had  one  of  the  largest  subscription  lists,  would  have  been 
startling  and  significant  under  other  circumstances.  But  the 
Esperanza^s  impunity  was  no  doubt  principally  due  to  the  fact, 
that  the  throne  had  but  little  to  fear  from  that  quarter,  and 
the  rulers  of  the  day  were  very  willing  to  hear  conservatism 
preached,  when  Carlism  bore  the  burden  of  its  obnoxiousness, 
and  the  Moderados  reaped  the  benefit. 


12 


X. 


Cuba  and  the  United  States. — The  Ceonica  Newspaper. — Parties 
IN  Cuba. — Public  Sentiment  there. — Abuses  and  their  Kejiedy. 
— Annexation. 

I  HAVE  said  that,  in  one  particular,  the  comments  of  the 
Madrid  press  upon  American  affairs  were  not  directed 
always  by  the  best  informed  or  kindest  spirit.  In  this  I  had 
reference  to  the  Cuba  question, — the  proposed  annexation  of 
that  island,  and  the  piratical  enterprises  in  contemplation 
against  it, — one  of  which,  but  a  short  time  previously,  had 
been  frustrated  by  the  vigilant  good  faith  of  General  Taylor's 
administration.  Although  I  had  full  occasion  to  experience, 
in  the  facilities  afforded  me  for  the  discharge  of  my  own 
duties,  the  cordiality  with  which  the  course  of  the  President 
and  his  cabinet  had  inspired  the  Spanish  government,  it  was 
impossible  not  to  see  that  there  were  circumstances  surround- 
ing the  question,  which  of  necessity  created,  in  both  ministers 
and  people,  an  uneasiness,  and  indeed  distrust,  as  to  the  future. 
The  obligation  of  the  nations  to  observe  their  treaties  incon- 
testably  and  obviously  involves  the  duty  of  enacting  laws 
which  shall  compel  that  observance,  to  the  letter,  on  the 
part  of  their  own  citizens.  When,  therefore,  a  people  who 
are  peremptory  in  exacting  the  strictest  performance  of  treaty 
90 


SPAIN.  91 

stipulations  from  others,  set  up  the  nature  of  their  own  institu- 
tions as  a  reason  for  their  inability  to  keep  as  strictly  the  faith 
which  they  have  as  positively  pledged,  they  have  no  right  to 
marvel  if  their  honesty  be  brought  in  question.  Nations  treat 
as  equals.  In  their  internal  government,  they  may  be  what 
they  please, — in  their  external  aspect  they  are  nations  merely, 
with  all  the  faculties  and  duties  of  such.  Sovereignty  which 
is  responsible  enough  to  contract  and  thereby  obtain  benefits, 
cannot  be  allowed  to  disclaim  responsibility  in  the  matter  of 
keeping  promises.  It  may  be  strong  enough  to  disregard  the 
consequences  of  so  doing, — bold  enough  to  challenge  them, — 
but  it  must  submit  to  be  called  unprincipled,  or  at  all  events 
to  be  considered  so.  If  a  nation's  institutions  unfit  it  for 
keeping  treaties,  it  ought  not  to  make  them.  It  either  has  a 
government,  or  it  has  not.  If  it  has  not,  it  ought  not  to 
make  pretence  that  it  has ;  if  it  has,  that  government  should 
govern.  The  logic  of  the  matter  is  as  clear  as  its  honesty ; 
and  false  pretences  are  as  criminal  under  the  public  law  as 
under  the  municipal. 

It  must  be  confessed,  that,  in  reference  to  the  Cuba  ques- 
tion, appearances  were  not  very  favorable  to  our  national 
fair-dealing.  That  in  a  civilized  country,  in  the  nineteenth 
century,  it  should  have  been  seriously  proposed,  and  openly, 
as  a  scheme  of  public  policy,  to  acquire,  by  actual  or  moi'al 
force,  the  territory  of  a  friendly  nation, — believed  to  be  a 
weak  one, — for  no  other  reason  and  with  no  other  pretext 
than,  simply,  that  the  party  proposing  to  take  thought  proper 
to  covet, — was  quite  enough  to  startle  those  plain  people,  all 
the  world  over,  who  had  been  taught  to  consider  good  faith 
as  sacred,  and  rapine  a  crime.     But  when  such  a  scheme  was 


92  SPAIN. 

advocated,  boldly  and  constantly,  in  the  public  journals  of 
the  aggressive  nation,  without  provoking  a  universal,  nay, 
even  a  general  expression  of  indignation  and  shame, — when, 
in  the  ports  of  that  nation,  expeditions  were  set  on  foot  and 
men  and  munitions  of  war  were  got  together  for  the  purpose 
of  invading  the  coveted  territory,  and  either  seizing  it,  or 
revolutionizing  its  population,  with  a  view  to  its  ultimate 
acquisition, — it  is  hardly  to  be  wondered  that  the  civilized 
world  should  have  poured  forth  unanimous  denunciations. 
The  people  of  the  outraged  nation  had  certainly  a  reasonable 
apology,  if  they  forgot  the  soft  words  and  the  forbearance 
which  became  thera  as  Christians.  The  Spaniards  have  a 
national  endowment  of  fortitude,  which  is  remarkable.  San 
Lorenzo,  whose  gridiron  is  immortalized  in  the  Escorial,  is 
said  to  have  suggested,  when  they  were  broiling  him,  that 
they  had  better  turn  him  on  the  other  side,  as  that  nearest 
the  coals  was,  he  thought,  sufficiently  cooked.  His  descend- 
ants, upon  the  present  occasion,  behaved  as  well  as  it  was 
reasonable  to  anticipate  from  even  such  an  example.  But 
there  are  limits  even  to  the  spirit  of  martyrdom,  and  it  is  not 
in  human  nature  that  men  should  be  altogether  patient  and 
philosophical,  when  they  witness  a  systematic  and  deliberate 
organization  for  the  robbery  and  murder  of  their  brethren. 
Nor  is  their  equanimity  at  all  likely  to  be  increased,  by  the 
fact  that  national  insult  is  added  to  private  injury,  and  that 
men  who  are  carrying  out,  and  presses  which  are  glorifying, 
the  principles  and  practices  of  the  Norse  freebooters,  should 
be  thanking  God  they  are  free  and  enlightened,  and  not 
like  the  "ignorant,  uncivilized  race"  which  they  are  about 
to  plunder  and  slay. 


SPAIN.  93 

While,  then,  it  was  generally  conceded  in  Madrid,  that 
the  United  States  executive  government  had  done  its  best, 
in  view  of  its  limited  i)owers,  it  was  equally  clear  that 
those  powers  were  more  than  necessarily  circumscribed, — at 
all  events  practically, — and  there  was  enough  in  the  demon- 
strations of  the  American  press, — enough,  with  shame  and 
sorrow  be  it  said,  in  occasional  expressions  wdiich  disgraced 
the  American  Congress, — to  satisfy  the  Spaniards  that  there 
was  danger  before  them  from  the  possible  action  of  our  peo- 
ple and  the  weakness  and  imperfection  of  our  laws.  Their 
ideas  were,  besides,  aiFected  further  by  their  own  notions  and 
habits  of  government.  Accustomed  to  the  surveillance,  and 
the  rapid,  secret,  and  unscrupulous  action  of  a  detective  police, 
they  could  not  comprehend  the  tardy  and  imperfect  operation 
of  that  popular,  free  system,  which  leaves  so  much  undis- 
covered and  unpunished,  least  any  should,  })erchance,  be 
unduly  suspected  or  oppressed.  They  could  not  understand 
how  a  warlike  expedition  could  be  set  on  foot,  in  any  country, 
without  its  being  known,  immediately,  to  the  government; 
and  it  was  inconceivable  to  them  that  a  suspected  person 
could  be  left  at  large,  without  connivance  on  the  part  of 
some  of  the  authorities.  They  felt  and  knew  that  their  own 
government  had  the  means  of  preventing  the  preparation  for 
such  outrages  in  its  ports,  and  that  its  powers  would  be  exer- 
cised, immediately  and  effectually,  to  suppress  and  punish. 
They  had  some  difficulty,  therefore,  in  being  persuaded  that 
they  had  not  a  right  to  expect  what  they  felt  themselves 
bound  and  were  always  ready  to  render,  and  what  the  United 
States,  upon  at  least  one  memorable  occasion,  had  exacted 
from  them  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 


94  SPAIN. 

There  was  another  cause  of  irritation  and  anxiety,  which, 
though  unfortunate,  was  natural.  Very  few  American  news- 
papers reach  the  Peninsula,  and  the  information  as  to  American 
affairs  which  is  derived  from  the  European  journals  is  generally 
meagre  and  partial.  The  principal  details  which  were  received 
and  reproduced  by  the  Madrid  press  were  furnished  by  the 
Cronica,  a  newspaper  published  at  New  York,  in  the  Spanish 
language,  and  commonly  asserted,  in  Madrid,  to  be  supported 
by  the  Cuban  government.  It  would  be  impossible  for  any 
thing  to  be  more  elaborately  and  systematically  unjust,  than 
the  mass  of  that  paper's  editorial  observations  upon  the 
character  and  sentiments  of  the  people  of  the  United  States, 
— an  injustice  which  it  is  difficult  not  to  pronounce  wilful, 
in  view  of  the  general  intelligence  which  pervades  the  journal, 
and  precludes  the  imputation  of  ignorance.  At  the  time 
referred  to,  the  good  faith  of  the  American  government  was 
constantly  impeached  in  the  Cronica,  and  the  integrity  and 
sincerity  of  the  Cabinet  officers  were  systematically  assailed. 
The  wholesome  and  honest  public  feeling  and  opinion  which 
pervaded  so  large  a  portion  of  the  American  community  and 
found  such  frequent  utterance  in  the  columns  of  its  influential 
journals,  were  studiously  ignored,  or  broadly  denied  to  exist. 
It  seemed,  in  fine,  the  whole,  unscrupulous  effort  of  the  paper 
to  create  and  strengthen  the  impression  that  our  government 
was  without  faith,  or  power  for  good,  and  our  people  destitute 
alike  of  truth  and  honesty.  The  tenor  of  my  own  views,  as 
already  expressed,  will,  I  think,  be  some  guaranty  to  the  reader, 
that  I  have  no  sympathy — not  the  most  remote — with  the  per- 
petrators of  the  outrages  in  question,  nor  any  national  super- 
sensibility,  which  would  lead  me  into  an  overstatement  of  the 
misrepresentations  to  which  I  am  referring. 


SPAIN.  95 

Facts  and  circumstances,  such  as  the  CrOnica,  in  the  spirit 
I  have  spoken  of,  took  pains  to  promulgate,  were  published 
for  truth,  as  the  testimony  of  eyewitnesses,  in  the  newspapers 
of  Madrid.  "Se  lee  en  un  periodico  de  Nueva  York,"  they 
would  say, — "  We  read  in  a  New  York  paper  the  follow- 
ing," &c.,  &c. ;  and  the  public,  not  familiar  with  the  mys- 
teries of  journalism,  took  for  granted  that  the  "thrilling 
narratives  "  with  which  they  were  regaled  were  the  concurrent 
testimonials  of  the  indigenous  press  of  New  York,  and  thought 
it  astonishing  that  the  pueblo  Norte- Americano  should  not  only 
be  so  full  of  villany,  but  so  barefaced  in  pleading  guilty  to  it. 
It  is  but  proper  to  admit  that  the  commentaries  of  the  Madrid 
papers  were  extremely  moderate,  in  view  of  the  facts  which 
they  believed  to  be  thus  in  their  possession.  A  supposed 
determination  on  the  part  of  England  to  annex  California 
would,  I  am  sure,  condense  more  hard  names  and  indignant 
eloquence  into  the  editorials  of  any  one  of  our  village  news- 
papers, than  the  whole  Madrid  press  gave  vent  to,  under 
similar  circumstances.  But  it  will,  nevertheless,  be  readily 
imagined,  that  such  things  could  not  fail  to  awaken  suspicion 
and  apprehension,  even  in  those  who  did  not  credit  them  alto- 
gether, and  that,  most  naturally,  there  existed  much  question 
of  our  motives  and  action,  even  among  those  whose  politi- 
cal principles  led  them  to  admire  our  institutions,  and  take 
pleasure  in  our  prosperity  and  greatness.  It  cannot  be 
denied  that  they  had  in  fact  much  solid  reason  to  think  ill 
of  us,  and  plausible  grounds  for  doing  so  even  to  a  far  greater 
extent  than  we  really  deserved. 

I  had  fortunate  opportunities  of  meeting  in  Madrid  with 
many  gentlemen  from  Cuba,  of  intelligence  and  influence,  and 


96  SPAIN. 

of  all  shades  of  political  opinion.  The  unreserved  expression 
of  their  views,  and  the  details  of  fact  with  which  many  of 
them  favored  me,  enabled  me  to  form  perhaps  as  accurate  an 
idea  of  the  politics  of  the  island,  as  even  a  visit  there  would 
ordinarily  afford  a  stranger.  Parties,  I  was  told,  were,  in 
the  main,  but  three.  Among  them,  the  uncompromising 
friends  of  the  existing  state  of  things  occupied  the  first  place 
in  political  power  and  ostensible  influence.  To  this  class 
belonged,  of  course,  all  the  government  officials,  with  their 
friends  and  dependents, — all  the  military  men, — many  of  the 
wealthier  Creoles  and  the  numerous  resident  Spaniards,  engaged 
in  private  pursuits.  These  last  are  principally  Catalans  or 
Basques, — mostly  the  former, — with  the  courage  and  energy 
characteristic  of  their  respective  provinces.  Considering  them- 
selves still  as  citizens  of  the  Peninsula,  and  looking  forward 
to  an  old  age  of  competence,  at  home,  from  the  fruits  of  their 
temporary  exile,  they  naturally  incline  towards  maintaining 
the  predominance  of  the  mother  country  against  the  immuni- 
ties which  the  Cubans,  as  naturally,  covet.  They  are  most 
of  them  wealthy ;  almost  all  in  promising  or  prosperous  busi- 
ness. If  taxes  are  high,  they  thrive  notwithstanding.  If 
government  is  arbitrary  and  exacting,  it  still  leaves  them 
the  means  of  getting  rich  and  escaping  in  comfort.  Their 
acquisitions  and  prospects,  therefore,  are  things  far  too  serious 
and  substantial  to  be  put  upon  the  hazard  of  any  revolution, 
and  they  consequently  form  a  conservative  phalanx,  which  it 
wuU  be  found  extremely  difficult  at  any  time  to  break.  They 
will  be  ready,  in  any  crisis,  to  place  at  the  disposal  of  the 
government  a  large  portion  of  their  wealth,  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  rest,  and  they  themselves  will  form  no  trifling 


SPAIN.  97 

accession  to  the  military  strength  of  the  island, — the  civil 
broils  of  latter  years  in  Spain  having  unfortunately  left  few 
from  the  northern  provinces  unaccustomed  to  bearing  arms, 
or  ignorant  of  military  discipline. 

The  extreme  party  on  the  other  side — that  alone  to  which 
immediate  or  forcible  annexation  would  be  tolerable — is,  I 
was  told,  and  as  subsequent  events  have  shown,  quite  insig- 
nificant in  influence,  character,  extent,  and  true  patriotism. 
It  of  course  embraces,  as  all  parties  of  extreme  opinion  do, 
some  few  sincere  enthusiasts;  but  its  principal  recruits  are 
from  the  ranks  of  those  wlio  have  nothing  to  lose,  and  those 
who,  having  fallen  under  the  ban  of  the  government,  have 
fortunes  to  redeem  or  injuries  to  revenge.  Its  members  are 
chiefly  Creoles,  or  strangers  who  have  no  other  livelihood 
than  opening  mine  Ancient  Pistol's  oyster.  In  a  country 
with  different  political  and  social  habits  and  organization,  the 
many  grievances  which  really  irritate  and  seriously  oppress 
would  render  desperate  adventurers  like  these  a  possible 
nucleus  of  dangerous  agitation.  But  political  abstractions 
melt  away  under  that  burning  sun,  and  the  population  is 
neither  large  nor  concentrated  enough,  nor  sufficiently  accus- 
tomed to  political  discussion,  to  be  easily  moved  by  the  ordi- 
nary appeals  which  have  so  much  force  in  popular  governments 
and  colder  climates.  The  Cubans,  besides,  are  of  too  lax  a 
fibre,  and  too  fond  of  pleasure,  for  any  of  those  doings  with 
which  "fierce  democraties"  are  wont  to  thunderstrike  old 
systems.  Pine-apples  and  cigars, — the  opera,  the  paseo,  and 
the  sea-breeze, — are  far  pleasanter  things,  even  under  a  Cap- 
tain-General, than  the  dust  and  blood  (besides  the  trouble)  of 
a  doubtful  revolution.  The  enervating  influences  which  have 
13 


98  SPAIN. 

made  the  stalwart  language  of  Castile  a  lisping  bastard  on 
the  Creole's  lips,  have  emasculated  his  character  also,  and 
destroyed  within  him  the  virile  independence  and  proud  forti- 
tude which  centuries  of  oppression  have  not  taken  from  the 
old  Castilian  heart.  The  spirit  of  the  radical  party,  there- 
fore, is  of  as  little  practical  consideration  as  its  numbers. 

The  third  division — if  parties  and  principles  have  any  thing 
reasonable  in  them — should  be,  and  I  was  told  it  was,  by  far 
the  most  numerous,  as  it  is  certainly  the  most  patriotic  of  the 
three.  It  is  composed,  mainly,  of  the  Cubans  themselves, 
but  embraces  the  best  elements  of  intelligence,  enterprise,  and 
virtue  to  be  found  among  them.  Its  members  have  simply 
in  view  the  interests  of  the  island  and  its  inhabitants.  They 
are  wedded  to  no  particular  scheme  or  system,  and  are  will- 
ing to  support  any  which  will  secure  to  them  a  rational 
freedom,  and  an  exemption  from  oppressive  and  unjust 
burdens.  They  have  no  preference  for  independence,  except 
as  a  means  of  securing  these  benefits,  and  regarding  it,  under 
the  circumstances,  as  a  perilous,  and  most  doubtful  experi- 
ment, they  are  many  of  them  anxious,  and  almost  all  of  them 
content,  to  continue  the  colonial  relation.  Other  things  being 
equal,  or,  indeed,  approximating  equality, — it  would  never 
occur  to  them  to  imagine  a  transfer  of  their  dependence  from 
the  mother  country  to  the  United  States.  All  their  national 
peculiarities — the  sympathy  of  race,  a  common  language, 
historical  associations,  family  ties,  and  national  customs  and 
tastes — incline  them  irresistibly  towards  the  land  of  their 
origin.  The  Spaniards  are  not  of  a  blood  that  readily 
amalgamates,  and  least  of  all  with  the  Saxon  or  any  mix- 
ture of  it.     But  the  predilection  of  the  intelligent  Cubans 


SPAIN.  99 

for  the  Spanish  connection,  though  a  strong  one,  is,  never- 
theless, not  blind.  They  complain  of  bad  government,  and 
are  earnest  in  insisting,  so  far  as  they  lawfully  may,  upon 
having  their  grievances  redressed.  This  is  not  the  place  to 
inquire  how  far  their  complaints  are  well  founded.  That  the 
evils  which  produce  them  have  been  greatly  overstated,  both 
as  to  number  and  aggravation,  I  have  no  doubt.  This  has 
been  particularly  the  case  in  the  many  absurd  publications 
which  have  been  made  in  the  United  States,  with  a  view  to 
stimulate  and  keep  up  the  annexation  and  invasion  excite- 
ments, and  which  have  misled  so  many  to  suffering  and 
death.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  only  just  to  say,  that, 
among  the  many  intelligent  Cubans  I  have  met,  I  do  not 
remember  one — no  matter  what  may  have  been  his  politics — 
who  has  not  spoken,  in  strong  language,  of  grievous  abuses 
as  existing.  Such  unanimity  cannot  certainly  be  without 
cause.  That  the  government  of  the  island  is  neither  more 
nor  less  than  a  military  despotism,  all  the  world  knows.  Its 
responsible  and  lucrative  offices  are,  almost  exclusively,  in  the 
hands  of  empleados  from  the  mother  country,  where,  indeed, 
Cuba  is  held,  as  Mistress  Page  was  by  her  enamored  knight, 
to  be  "  all  gold  and  bounty."  Politicians  who  have  rendered 
services  which  the  coffers  of  the  Peninsula  are  too  empty  to 
compensate  conveniently,  and  aspirants  to  place  at  home  who 
are  needy  and  dangerous,  are  rewarded  habitually,  or  pro- 
pitiated, as  the  case  may  be,  by  a  chance  of  picking  the 
colony.  The  administration  of  justice  is  admitted,  on  all 
hands,  to  be  tardy,  costly,  and  corrupt.  Nowhere,  I  was 
told,  does  the  escribano  system,  with  all  its  consequences, — 
"  insani  prtemia  scribfe," — flourish  half  so  gloriously.     Taxa- 


100  SPAIN. 

tion,  if  not  so  exorbitant  as  is  sometimes  pretended,  is  unques- 
tionably unequal  and  needlessly  oppressive.  The  restraint  on 
commerce,  and  the  subserviency  of  its  regulations  to  Peninsular 
interests,  contribute  to  render  that  oppressiveness  still  more 
unwelcome, — while  the  fact,  that  all  the  impositions  which 
weigh  so  heavily  upon  the  colonists  go  to  the  support  of  an 
administration  of  strangers,  or  the  maintenance  of  a  govern- 
ment across  the  ocean,  suffices,  of  itself,  to  throw  on  the  colonial 
relation  a  certain  shade  of  inevitable  odium. 

It  is  not  to  be  concealed,  that  the  pressure  of  these  things  is 
made  more  galling,  even  to  the  most  loyal  of  the  Cubans,  by 
the  proximity  of  this  republic.  They  cannot  avoid  feeling 
that  the  palpable  contrast  between  our  relative  prosperity  and 
progress  and  theirs  is  mainly  attributable  to  the  diiference  in 
political  institutions  and  their  administration.  Every  unsuc- 
cessful application  to  the  home  government  for  measures  of 
redress  of  course  heightens  the  effect  of  that  contrast,  and 
proportionally  inclines  them  to  turn  from  a  system  which 
perpetuates  misrule,  to  one  which  furnishes  such  practical 
demonstration  of  its  efficiency  for  good.  If,  therefore,  all  the 
freebooters  who  disgrace  our  shores  were  driven  from  them, — 
if  the  few  shameless  presses  were  silenced  which  proclaim  as 
honorable  and  patriotic  the  breach  of  our  treaty  faith  and 
the  total  abandonment  of  national  honor, — the  Cuban  govern- 
ment itself  alone  might  give  efficiency,  and  weight,  and  final 
success  to  the  project  of  annexation.  A  very  interesting 
pamphlet,  presenting  this  view  of  the  subject,  was  published 
in  Madrid  while  I  was  there,  by  Don  Jose  Antonio  Saco,  a 
distinguished  Cuban,  who,  although  an  anti -annexationist,  was 
then  reaping  in  banishment,  at  Calais,  the  reward  of  his  honest 


SPAIN.  101 

but  too  candid  zeal.  The  liberal  newspapers  adopted  and  ad- 
vocated his  ideas,  with  a  great  deal  of  freedom  and  force,  while 
the  government  organs,  of  course,  denounced  them  as  treason- 
able and  absurd.  The  columns  of  the  latter  journals  were 
filled,  meanwhile,  with  letters  from  Havana,  which  gave 
magnificent  accounts  of  public  displays,  operatic  fiestas,  and 
balls  and  banquets  enthusiastically  attended,  at  the  palace  of 
the  Captain-General, — all  obviously  got  up  as  proof  conclusive 
of  the  splendor,  happiness,  and  plenty  which  flourish  under 
the  existing  system.  For  men  mad  enough  to  think  that  such 
things  can  long  disguise  the  evils  or  retard  the  overthrow  of  a 
bad  government,  there  is  no  hellebore  except  the  fate  which 
they  invoke.  Nor  can  that  fate,  in  its  good  season,  fail  to 
overtake  them,  if  they  so  continue  to  deserve  it.  Now,  it  will 
be  comparatively  easy  for  the  Spanish  government,  in  the 
patriotic  reaction  after  the  defeat  of  Lopez, — the  loyal  rallying 
of  all  parties  and  classes  around  the  throne, — to  put  an  end  to 
discontent  and  danger.  The  most  moderate  reforms, — the 
mere  foreshadowing  of  something  better, — anything  that  may 
give  or  seem  to  give,  an  earnest  of  a  more  liberal  system  to 
come, — will  suffice  to  revive  hopes  and  quicken  and  confirm 
allegiance.  Every  year  of  delay  will  render  the  task  more 
difficult  and  the  result  more  problematic. 

It  requires,  one  would  think,  but  ordinary  forecast  and 
familiarity  with  human  nature  to  perceive  all  this ;  but  men 
in  power,  and  especially  in  Spain,  seem  cursed  with  the  fatal- 
ity of  thinking  that  the  present  is  all  of  time.  The  pleasure 
and  pride  of  governing  and  getting  rich  by  it  appear  to  absorb 
all  other  considerations,  even  with  men  whose  capacity  and 
experience  of  public  affairs  ought  to  teach  them  that  duty  is 


102  SPAIN. 

worth  discharging,  as  a  matter  of  policy  and  reputation  at  all 
events,  to  say  nothing  of  principle.  Causes,  however,  will 
not  cease  to  operate,  because  politicians  choose  to  disregard 
them.  The  flood-tide  of  the  ocean  had  small  care  for  Canute. 
Unless  there  be  a  change,  and  a  most  decided  one,  in  the  atti- 
tude of  Spain  towards  her  chief  colony,  there  must,  sooner  or 
later,  but  inevitably,  be  a  repetition  of  the  memorable  lesson, 
''C'esttroptard!" 

But  let  it  not  for  a  moment  be  inferred  from  this,  that 
there  is  or  can  be  any  real  sympathy,  on  the  part  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Cuba,  with  the  expeditions  of  the  buccaneers 
who  have  given  so  much  trouble  to  them,  and  brought  so 
much  discredit  on  us,  of  late.     Results  have  been  demon- 
strative enough  on  this  point.     What  the  Cubans  desire  is 
improvement,  not   revolution, — protection   to  property,  and 
personal  security,  under  a  better  government  and  better  laws. 
If  they  cannot  obtain  these  things  from  the  mother  country, 
they  may  be  forced  or  tempted  to  seek  them  in  the  last  resort, 
as  I  have  said,  under  the  auspices  of  a  powerful  and  freer 
nation.     But  this  will  be  in  the  last  resort  only,  and  peace- 
fully, if  possible.     Revolt  would,  at  the  best,  involve  conse- 
quences which  it  is  horrible  to  contemplate.     The  Spanish 
government  has  announced  its  inflexible  determination,  that 
the  island  shall  continue  Spanish  or  be  made  African.    "Cuba 
ha  de  ser  Espatlola  6  Africana."     The  hour  in  which  the 
standard  of  revolt  should  be  successfully  reared,  would  see 
the  slaves  let  loose  upon  their  masters.     The  rapine,  murder, 
and  incendiarism  of  a  single  day  of  servile  triumph  could 
never  be  repaired,  to  the  present  inhabitants  of  the  island. 
Others  might  come  after  them  and  prosper, — the  island  itself 


SPAIN.  103 

might  become  rich  and  great  in  time,  under  other  institu- 
tions,— but  the  men  of  this  day  and  the  things  that  are  theirs 
would  disappear  in  the  conflict.  The  power  of  the  Union 
might  conquer, — it  could  not  save.  If,  then,  the  Cubans 
would  have  so  much  reason  to  dread  the  drawing  of  the 
sword,  with  all  the  force  of  this  republic  on  their  side,  it 
presupposes  madness  in  them  to  imagine  that  they  can  seri- 
ously countenance  revolt,  with  no  other  reliance  than  the 
Falstaff  regiments  of  our  steamboat  "  patriots."  There  is 
double  reason  for  their  shrinking  from  the  struggle  in  that 
shape.  Success  would  be  as  bad  as  defeat.  The  motives  and 
hopes  of  such  adventurers  as  would  seek  their  shores  under 
such  banners  could  only  be  based  on  plunder.  Of  necessity 
they  would  be  in  search  of  better  fortunes.  Whence  would 
the  plunder — whence  would  the  fortunes — come?  All  the 
generals  and  colonels,  all  the  governors  and  other  miscel- 
laneous functionaries  and  heroes  who  might  lead  or  follow 
the  liberating  chivalry,  would  of  course  expect  a  pound  of 
pay  to  every  ounce  of  glory.  They  would  take  leave  to 
dictate  their  own  rewards,  and  to  apportion  them,  if  there 
were  need,  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Unhappy  Cuba 
would  have  cause  to  sigh,  amid  the  seven  devils  that  had 
come  to  her,  for  the  single  one  she  had  been  so  anxious 
to  cast  out.  It  cannot  be  that  the  Cubans  are  blind  to  all 
this ;  and  the  hopes  and  calculations  M'hich  rest  on  the  ex- 
istence of  such  blindness  must  be  frustrated.  Even  among 
the  Antilles  there  are  people  who  have  heard  of  ^sop,  and 
remember  the  fable  of  the  horse  who  submitted  to  the  rein 
that  he  might  take  vengeance  on  his  enemy,  and  was  ridden 
and  driven   for  ever  after, — the  drudge   and  victim  of  his 


104  SPAIN, 


friend  !  They  must  have  read  our  history  but  little  and  ill, 
not  to  have  learned  that  "annexation"  is  equivalent  to  ab- 
sorption, and  that  the  "  proud  bird "  in  which  we  glory  so 
much  has  claws  and  a  beak  for  his  own  edification,  as  well  as 
benignant  wings  for  the  protection  of  dependent  poultry. 


XI. 


The  CHAjrBER  of  Deputies. — Teatro  de  Okiente. — Mikistees  and 
Opposition. — Council  of  Ministers. — Seats  of  Ministers  in  the 
Legislature. 

ALTHOUGH  legislative  bodies,  even  under  the  most 
liberal  system  of  suffrage,  do  not  universally  (with 
deference  be  it  said)  represent  the  best  phases  of  the  national 
spirit,  intelligence,  or  taste,  they  are  nevertheless  suflBciently 
characteristic,  always,  in  their  deliberations,  to  interest  a 
stranger  greatly.  This  is  particularly  true  of  the  more  popu- 
lar branch,  where  there  are  two.  The  Congress  of  Deputies 
in  Madrid  was  accordingly  one  of  my  favorite  places  of  resort. 
The  new  Palace,  which  the  Deputies  now  occupy,  at  the  head 
of  the  Carrera  de  San  Geronimo,  near  the  Prado,  was  not 
finished  or  dedicated  to  its  legislative  uses  until  some  months 
after  my  return  home.  It  is  a  large  and  costly  building,  but 
very  badly  situated,  it  seems  to  me,  for  effect,  and,  although 
rendered  somewhat  imposing  by  its  size  and  classical  preten- 
sions, is  wanting  in  dignity  and  taste.  Thcophile  Gautier  says 
that  he  doubts  whether  good  laws  can  possibly  be  made  under 
such  architecture;  but  a  traveller  from  the  United  States  must 
needs  be  more  hopeful,  in  view  of  the  excellent  legislation 
which  has  now  and  then  emanated  from  our  own  Capitol,  in 
14  105 


106  SPAIN. 

spite  of  its  dome  and  the  statuary  on  its  portico  and  in  its 
neighborhood. 

The  Congress  held  its  sessions,  during  my  stay,  in  the 
saloon  of  the  Teatro  (theatre)  de  Oriente,  an  immense  build- 
ing, then  still  unfinished,  but  since  converted,  at  the  expense 
of  the  government,  into  perhaps  the  most  superb  opera-house 
in  Europe.  It  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  Calle  del  Arenal,  the 
street  which  runs  directly  from  the  Puerta  del  Sol  to  the 
Royal  Palace,  and  obstructs,  with  its  huge,  unsightly  pile  of 
bricks,  the  thoroughfare  and  view  from  the  Puerta  to  the 
beautiful  Plaza  de  Oriente.  The  French,  during  their  occu- 
pation of  Madrid,  determined,  with  their  usual  good  taste  in 
such  matters,  that  the  avenue  between  the  Puerta  and  the 
Palace  should  be  direct  and  uninterrupted.  As  it  cost  them 
nothing  to  gratify  their  fancy,  they  caused  the  interposing 
buildings  to  be  demolished  accordingly.  Ferdinand  the  Sev- 
enth, with  his  proverbial  want  of  taste,  and  his  recklessness  in 
making  all  things  bend  to  it,  resolved,  on  his  return,  not  to 
remedy  the  private  wrong  which  the  destruction  of  property 
had  inflicted,  but  to  throw  away  for  his  private  amusement 
the  public  good  which  had  been  purchased  by  the  sacrifice. 
It  occurred  to  him,  that  he  would  like  to  have  a  theatre 
within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  palace,  so  that  he  might  step 
into  it  by  a  covered  way,  after  dinner,  without  danger  of  the 
pulmonia  or  prejudice  to  his  digestion.  Straightway,  there- 
fore, arose  the  Teatro  de  Oriente,  in  the  very  course  of  the 
Arenal  and  the  very  line  of  view  from  the  Palace  and  the 
Puerta.  In  order  to  render  the  exploit  as  acceptable  as  might 
be  to  his  people,  he  caused  the  massive  foundations  and  ridic- 
ulously heavy  walls  of  the  structure  to  be  laid  with  an  utter 


SPAIN.  107 

contempt  of  cost,  and  provided  the  necessary  funds  by  arbi- 
imos  upon  the  fruits  of  Malaga,  and  other  equally  rational 
impositions.  "Dios  nos  libre  del  despotvmio  ! — May  God  de- 
liver us  from  despotism  ! " — was  the  fervent  ejaculation,  at 
this  stage  of  his  story,  of  the  worthy  Progresista  who  called 
my  attention  to  these  details.  But  Ferdinand  did  not  live  to 
consummate  the  triumph  of  his  caprice  over  popular  conveni- 
ence, the  beauty  of  the  capital,  and  common  propriety  and 
sense.  The  political  troubles  which  followed  his  exit  were 
two  engrossing  to  permit  even  theatres  to  be  thought  of  or 
paid  for,  and  the  lumbering  mass  lay  almost  as  he  left  it,  un- 
til 1850,  when  Sartorius  resolved  to  complete  it  under  the 
auspices  of  his  Department,  so  that  the  prestige  of  the  Mode- 
rado  dynasty  might  be  strengthened,  by  the  popularity  of 
Alboui  the  singer  and  Fuoco  the  dancer.  In  the  meantime, 
however,  what  had  been  meant  for  the  amusement  Ferdinand 
most  loved  (among  those  which  were  harmless)  was  applied 
to  the  purposes  he  most  hated, — those  of  popular  legislation. 
The  saloon,  a  beautiful  and  commodious  chamber,  was  finished 
and  elegantly  fitted  up,  in  1841,  for  the  Congress  of  Depu- 
ties. All  the  necessary  apartments  for  offices,  committee- 
rooms,  library  and  archives,  were  easily  provided,  without 
taxing  half  the  capabilities  of  the  enormous  edifice,  and — 
except  for  the  name  of  the  thing — Spain  might  have  been 
spared,  for  at  least  another  of  her  constitutional  cycles,  the 
cost  of  yet  another  palace.  Surely,  in  the  state  of  her  finances, 
Sefior  Conde  de  San  Luis !  she  might  have  managed  to  dis- 
pense with  a  government  opera-house. 

At  the  head  of  the  saloon,  towards  the  north,  upon  a  lofty 
platform,  was  the  throne,  magnificent  in  drapery  and  gilding, 


108  SPAIN. 

guarded  by  couchant  lions,  gilded  also.     In  front  of  this  was 
the  chair  of  the  President,  before  whom  the  secretaries  sat  at 
their  table.     On  each  side  was  a  sort  of  tribune  or  pulpit, 
whence  orators  might  speak,  if  they  chose,  and  from  which 
the  ministers  read  royal  edicts  on  occasions  of  great  state. 
Along  the  walls,  upon  the  platform,  were  the  diplomatic  and 
other  privileged  galleries.    The  seats  to  which  the  public  were 
admitted  were  at  the  lower  extremity  of  the  chamber.     The 
benches  of  the  members  were  placed  in  ascending  grades,  par- 
allel with  the  length  of  the  saloon,  down  the  centre  of  which 
there  was  an  open  passage  to  where  the  halberdiers,  in  antique 
dresses,  stood  at  the  foot.     None  but  the  ministers  were  sup- 
plied with  desks.    Little  slips  or  leaves  of  mahogany,  attached 
to  the  backs  of  the  benches,  and  so  arranged  that  they  could 
be  raised  and  used  by  those  sitting  behind,  for  the  convenience 
of  taking  notes,  seemed  to  answer  all  necessary  purposes.    The 
ministers  sat  together,  on  the  first  front  bench  to  the  right,  at 
the  foot  of  the  presidential  platform.     Immediately  behind 
them  were  the  seats  of  some  of  their  most  prominent  support- 
ers, and  a  little  lower  down,  on  the  same  side,  were  several  of 
the  leaders  of  the  Moderado  opposition.     The  Progresistas 
were  principally  grouped  directly  in  front  of  the  ministers  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  central  passage.     The  appearance  of 
the  body  was,  on  the  whole,  dignified  and  prepossessing,  and 
although  it  numbered  three  hundred  and  fifty  members,  there 
was,  even  in  the  most  excited  debates,  a  general  observance  of 
personal  and  parliamentary  decorum,   which  illustrated  the 
proverbial  good-breeding  of  the  nation. 

The  President  of  the  Deputies  seems  to  exercise  a  much 
more  arbitrary  jurisdiction  than  the  corresponding  functionary 


SPAIN.  109 

with  us.  His  control  over  the  hours  of  meeting  and  adjourn- 
ment appears  to  be  discretionary,  and  his  decision,  upon  ques- 
tions of  order  and  parliamentary  privilege,  to  carry  the  force 
of  law.  If  authority  so  large  may  sometimes  (as  it  must)  be 
abused, — especially  where  the  influence  of  government  is  so 
marked,  and  where  the  Presidency  must  generally  be  within 
its  gift, — there  is,  on  the  other  hand,  no  doubt  that  time  and 
disorder  are  greatly  economized  by  it,  and  that  a  vast  amount 
of  empty  and  profitless  debate  is  superseded.  Nor,  indeed, 
am  I  sure  that  the  power  of  a  partisan  majority  over  free- 
dom of  speech  is  not  less  likely  to  be  unscrupulously  used 
by  a  single  and  solely  responsible  individual, — who,  although 
elected  by  that  majority,  has  yet  his  personal  integrity  and 
intelligence  directly  and  conspicuously  at  stake, — than  by  the 
majority  itself,  in  whose  action  responsibility  is  divided,  and 
individual  scruples  are  swept  off  their  feet  by  the  rush  of  the 
crowd. 

The  ministers  of  the  crown  are  not  ex  officio  members  of 
the  Cortes,  but,  if  they  belong  to  either  of  the  legislative 
bodies,  they  may  take  part  in  the  discussions  of  both,  though 
without  the  right  of  voting  except  in  that  of  which  they  are 
members.  The  administration  is  distributed  into  seven  De- 
partments, each  of  which  has  its  Secretary.  The  Minister  of 
State  discharges  the  usual  duties  of  such  a  functionary.  The 
Minister  of  Grace  and  Justice  is  charged  with  the  superin- 
teudence  of  the  legal  and  judicial  system, — the  control  of 
ecclesiastical  affairs,  patents  of  nobility,  pardons,  privileges, 
and  legal  dispensations, — the  custody  and  authentication  of 
the  laws  of  the  realm, — and  a  thousand  collateral  branches  of 
duty  and  patronage  such  as  must  necessarily  belong  to  so  com- 


110  SPAIN. 

prebensive  a  Department,  The  Minister  of  Gobernacion  (or 
of  the  Interior),  has  the  control  of  police  and  taxes, — the  post- 
office  and  the  conscription, — the  internal  government  of  the 
provinces,  so  far  as  that  belongs  to  the  central  authority, — 
the  management  of  theatres  and  bull-fights,  the  press  and  the 
prisons.  His  jurisdiction  embraces  the  colonies,  and  his  duties 
therefore  are  complicated  and  almost  incalculable.  The  Min- 
ister of  Commerce,  Instruction,  and  Public  Works,  and  the 
Secretaries  of  Finance,  War,  and  the  Navy,  exercise  respect- 
ively their  obvious  functions.  The  seven  Secretaries  form 
what  is  called  the  Council  of  Ministers,  which  is  presided  over 
by  one  of  their  number,  or  by  an  eighth  minister  designated 
by  the  crown,  in  its  discretion,  and  without  any  particular 
administrative  duties.  Narvaez,  like  a  sensible  man,  chose  to 
be  President  of  the  Council,  and  nothing  more  in  name  or 
duty,  though  every  thing  in  power.  He  was  rarely  absent 
from  the  sessions  of  the  Congress,  and  although  he  of  course 
left  to  his  colleagues  the  labor  of  discussing  those  measures 
which  involved  their  particular  Departments  and  the  details 
of  the  administration,  he  was  always  on  the  alert,  like  a  skil- 
ful general  and  brave  soldier,  watching  the  changes  of  the 
fight,  and  ready  to  throw  himself,  sword  in  hand,  wherever 
the  enemy  pressed  fiercely. 

I  may  say  in  this  connection,  that  I  could  not  avoid  being 
frequently  struck,  in  the  Cortes,  with  the  great  advantage,  in 
many  points  of  view,  of  giving  seats  in  the  legislature  to  the 
chief  counsellors  of  the  executive.  I  do  not,  of  course,  speak 
with  regard  to  the  convenience  of  the  members  of  the  Cabinet 
themselves, — though  there  is  no  reason  why  that  should  not 
be  consulted, — but  in  view  of  the  many  and  great  facilities 


SPAIN.  Ill 

which  the  system  gives,  for  the  transaction  of  public  business. 
A  thousand  unimportant  inquiries,  gravely  instituted  by  the 
House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States,  and  entailing 
upon  the  heads  of  Departments  the  most  wearisome  and  un- 
necessary waste  of  that  time,  which,  when  most  faithfully  and 
economically  used,  scarce  suffices  for  the  thorough  discharge 
of  their  indispensable  duties,  might  be  satisfied,  in  a  few  mo- 
ments, or  altogether  superseded,  by  a  timely  word  or  two  of 
oral  question  and  explanation.  The  gross  and  unbecoming 
personal  attacks  which  have,  of  late,  so  unfortunately  tended 
to  make  our  executive  dignities  comparatively  unattractive  to 
those  who  could  wear  them  most  worthily,  would  not  be  half 
so  frequent,  I  am  sure,  were  the  assailants  confronted  with 
the  ability  and  character,  which,  at  a  distance  and  under  so 
many  disadvantages,  may  now  be  outraged  with  impunity. 
Suggestions,  which  the  experience  of  a  Secretary  and  his  supe- 
rior knowledge  of  details  might  enable  him  constantly  and 
most  advantageously  to  throw  out,  for  the  perfection  of  meas- 
ures concerning  his  Department,  now  only,  in  most  cases, 
reach  the  legislature  indirectly,  and  often  through  the  medium 
of  committees  whose  adverse  views  hardly  transmit  them 
fairly,  and  never  fully. 

Nor  is  there  any  evil  very  apparent  which  diminishes  the 
force  of  these  considerations.  The  fear  of  executive  influence 
is  a  sorry  bugbear, — for,  if  the  executive  is  not  present  to 
speak  for  itself,  it  must  needs,  in  the  best  way  it  can,  procure 
others,  among  the  legislators  themselves,  to  speak  for  it, — and 
it  is  not  very  likely  that  corruption  will  be  decreased  by  in- 
creasing the  necessity  for  its  application.  Equally  unfounded, 
too,  is  the  notion  that  the  presence  of  those  who  dispense 


112  SPAIN. 

patronage  will  be  a  restraint  on  legislative  independence.  The 
yeas  and  nays  are  far  more  tyrannical  than  any  browbeating. 
Where  every  man's  vote  is  known  to  his  neighbor,  or  may  be, 
those  who  vote  to  be  profited  will  find  no  compulsion  more 
stringent  and  domineering  than  that  applied  by  their  interests. 
If  people  are  superstitious  on  the  subject  of  keeping  the 
legislative  and  executive  functions  distinctly  apart, — a  very 
singular  superstition,  by  the  by,  under  a  constitution  which 
embodies  the  veto  power, — let  them  give  the  Secretaries  the 
right  to  participate  in  the  debates,  but  not  to  vote.  Let 
each — if  scrupulosity  in  the  premises  be  deemed  a  virtue — 
be  confined  to  the  discussion  of  what  involves  his  particular 
branch  of  the  service,  or  at  all  events  let  none  of  them  have 
a  wider  range  than  over  matters  purely  executive.  I  do  not, 
myself,  see  the  necessity  of  any  such  restrictions.  I  think 
that  what  is  called  the  "one-man  power"  is  only  dangerous 
in  the  newspapers.  The  legislature,  within  its  constitutional 
province,  is  quite  able  to  take  care  of  itself,  and  in  its  cus- 
tomary practice  of  "platform"  and  President  making  has 
an  additional  element  of  mastery,  which  renders  it  almost 
omnipotent.  The  introduction  of  the  change  I  have  com- 
mented on,  instead  of  diminishing  the  legitimate  or  increasing 
the  illegitimate  sway  of  Congress,  would,  I  am  sure,  have  a 
contrary  effect.  It  would  make  executive  responsibility  more 
certain,  by  rendering  it  more  direct  and  unavoidable,  and 
would,  on  the  other  hand,  give  to  ability,  candor,  eloquence, 
and  patriotism  the  opportunity  of  preventing  misrepresenta- 
tion and  injustice,  by  being  their  own  immediate  interpreters. 


XII. 


General  Narvaez. — Ministerial  Profits. — Marquis  of  Pidal. — 
AsTURiAN  Nobility. — Sr.  Mon. — Prohibitive  Duties  and  the 
Catalans. 

I  HAVE  already  spoken  of  the  Duke  of  Valencia, — better 
known  as  General  Narvaez, — with  the  respect  which  I 
think  his  ability  deserves,  in  spite  of  many  things,  in  his 
political  system  and  practices,  which  it  is  impossible  not  to 
condemn.  The  controlling  position  which  he  occupied,  for 
some  years,  in  his  native  country,  and  the  remarkable  energy 
and  wisdom  with  which  he  managed  to  carry  his  government 
in  peace  through  the  stormy  times  which  succeeded  the  last 
French  revolution,  have  attracted  much  attention  to  him  from 
the  European  world.  Upon  the  Continent,  his  reputation,  as 
a  statesman  and  ruler,  is  very  high.  In  England — })articu- 
larly  since  his  dismissal  of  Sir  Henry  Bulwer — there  has 
been  a  disposition  shown  to  treat  him  as  a  mere  soldier  of 
fortune,  to  whose  greatness  accident  has  stood  godfather,  and 
who  could  only  be  eminent,  inter  minora  sidera,  in  Spain. 
As  the  most  of  what  we  know,  in  reference  to  Continental 
matters,  comes  to  us  from  the  British  press,  it  is  natural  that 
British  opinions  should,  in  the  main,  be  the  basis  of  ours,  and 
it  thus  happens  that  the  little  which  is  said  and  thought  of 
15  113 


114  SPAIN. 

Narvaez,  in  the  United  States,  is  tinctured  with  the  injustice 
prevailing  at  the  source  from  which  it  comes. 

Entering  the  diplomatic  gallery  of  the  Salon  de  Oriente, 
you  found  yourself  not  very  far  from  the  bench  occupied  by 
the  ministers.  At  its  head  there  sat — or  frequently  stood, 
receiving  the  salutations  of  the  members  as  they  passed — a 
man  apparently  a  little  over  fifty  years  of  age,  and  rather 
below  the  middle  size.  He  was  scrupulously  well  dressed, — 
sometimes  almost  too  elaborately, — his  figure  erect  and  well 
proportioned,  his  bearing  somewhat  haughty,  yet  full  of  stu- 
dious courtesy.  But  that  he  had  place  and  power,  which 
ladies  love,  it  would  not  have  been  easy  to  conceive  what  had 
made  him  so  proverbial  a  favorite  with  the  fair  daughters  of 
his  country ;  for  his  features,  though  striking,  were  hard  and 
weather-worn,  and  the  best  Paris  perruquier  had  not  been 
able  to  make  art  as  ornamental  as  nature.  Sometimes  he 
wore  a  ribbon  at  his  buttonhole,  but  often  he  was  without 
any  decoration,  and,  save  the  aspect  of  the  man  himself  and 
the  deference  which  almost  insensibly  waited  on  his  pres- 
ence, there  was  nothing  of  outward  sign  to  tell  a  stranger 
that  the  absolute  ruler  of  Spain  and  its  dependencies  was 
before  him. 

If  you  waited,  however,  until  the  order  of  the  day  was 
called,  and  the  discussion  happened  to  be  one  of  moment,  it 
soon  became  perceptible  that  the  leader  of  the  ministerial 
phalanx  was,  by  all  odds  and  on  all  accounts,  the  leader  of 
the  Congress.  Although,  as  I  have  said,  he  left  to  his  associ- 
ates the  consideration  of  details,  he  assumed  absolute  control 
over  the  spirit  of  the  debate  on  his  side  of  the  question. 
Upon  all  points  involving  the  dignity  of  the  monarch  and 


SPAIN.  115 

the  integrity  of  his  own  administration, — upon  all  personal 
questions, — all  occasions  where  there  was  play  for  that  wis- 
dom which  comes  of  will,  and,  more  than  all  things  else, 
despotically  sways  assemblages  of  men, — his  mastery  was 
instantly  manifest.  It  is  true  that  his  position,  and  the 
deference  of  the  President  and  the  majority  of  the  Deputies, 
would  have  given  great  advantages  to  even  an  ordinary  man  ; 
but  there  was  that  in  the  glancing  of  his  fierce  gray  eye,  in 
his  condensed  and  pointed  thought  and  his  impassioned  utter- 
ance, which  made  the  parliamentary  predominance  of  Narvaez 
obviously  his  own.  Sometimes  he  was  overbearing  in  speech, 
as  he  undoubtedly  is  in  temper,  but  he  would  almost  invaria- 
bly make  generous  atonement, — often,  indeed,  so  chivalrously, 
as  to  render  his  very  trespass  an  element  of  sympathy.  Occa- 
sionally he  would  fling  out  a  stinging  epigram,  conceived  in 
the  very  happiest  spirit  of  popular  oratory.  "  The  honorable 
gentleman,"  he  said  one  day  in  reply  to  Cortina,  one  of  the 
leading  Progresistas, — "  the  honorable  gentleman  will  have 
it.  Sir,  that  the  administration  is  indebted,  for  its  failures,  to 
itself, — for  its  successes,  to  Chance  !  I  give  Chance  joy,  Sir, 
of  so  eminent  a  votary  as  the  gentleman  !  I  congratulate  the 
honorable  gentleman  himself  upon  the  happy  accident  which, 
when  he  tossed  into  the  air  the  seven-and-twenty  letters  of 
the  alphabet,  brought  down  the  graceful  combinations  of  his 
eloquent  discourse  ! " 

I  was  informed  by  a  distinguished  member  of  the  opposi- 
tion, that  Narvaez  lacked  fluency  except  in  passionate  appeals, 
and  that  his  argumentative  efibrts  were  always  carefully  pre- 
pared, even  to  the  extent  of  being  written  as  they  were 
delivered.      If  this  be  correct,  the  Spanish  statesman  does 


116  SPAIN. 

only  what  the  greatest  masters  of  parliamentary  art  have 
done,  and  wisely ;  but  I  can  scarcely  reconcile  it  with  his 
impulsive  nature  and  fervent  elocution.  His  graver  speeches 
were  generally  reserved  to  close  the  debate, — a  course  which 
he  was  particularly  justified  in  pursuing,  as  well  by  the  force 
.  of  his  character  and  influence,  as  by  his  power  of  analysis  and 
condensation.  He  was  never  very  long  upon  the  floor,  for  he 
is  a  man  of  few  words.  His  mind  seemed  to  direct  itself, 
instinctively,  towards  the  heart  of  the  controversy, — avoiding 
all  things  collateral  and  extraneous.  He  presented  the  strong 
points  of  his  own  case  in  the  most  compact,  impressive  way, 
and  attacked  the  strong  points  of  his  adversaries  with  a  direct- 
ness and  a  gallantry  which  were  always  effective,  and  often 
triumphant.  When  he  had  finished  his  argument,  his  speech 
was  finished  too ;  and  although  men  of  finer  elocution,  more 
attractive  fancy,  more  philosophical  and  copious  thought, 
might,  with  their  best  ability,  have  gone  before  him,  his 
summing  up  seemed  always  to  have  left  the  question  at 
the  very  point  whence  you  could  see  it  best  and  judge  of 
it  most  justly. 

What  I  have  said  of  the  parliamentary  eiforts  of  Narvaez 
is  perfectly  consistent  with  the  fact  that  he  is  not  a  highly 
educated  or  intellectually  cultivated  man.  Although  of  noble 
connection,  he  spent  the  earlier  portion  of  his  life  among  the 
mountains  of  Andalusia,  in  narrow  circumstances,  without 
much  chance  of  converse  with  men  or  books.  Many  of  his 
first  speeches,  it  is  said,  gave  decided  evidence  of  the  defects 
which  so  limited  a  career  necessarily  induced,  and  now  his 
best  eiforts  are  but  little  indebted  for  their  success  to  literary 
taste,   historical    illustration,   or    other    men's    theories    and 


SPAIN.  117 

thoughts.  His  rapid  perceptions,  however,  and  rare  memory, 
have  made  the  brilliant  opportunities  of  his  later  years  stand 
practically  in  stead  of  the  advantages  of  youth,  and  while, 
even  in  the  midst  of  a  life  of  action  and  excitement,  he  has 
been  able  proportionally  to  widen  the  sphere  and  multiply 
the  variety  of  his  acquirements,  his  extraordinary  tact  has 
converted  him  into  as  consummate  a  man  of  the  world,  as 
one  with  so  impetuous  and  proud  a  spirit  well  can  be.  In 
the  most  polished  circles  of  Madrid,  surrounded  by  distin- 
guished foreigners  and  the  ilite  of  his  own  countrymen,  he 
would  be  selected  at  a  glance  for  what  he  is,  by  any  careful 
observer  of  men ;  nor  would  a  nearer  view  disclose  a  single 
point,  in  which  he  would  appear  to  fall  below  the  high  social 
standard  by  which  his  position  exposes  him  to  be  tested. 
His  accent  and  forms  of  speech  are  decidedly  Andalusian, 
and  his  familiar  conversation  has,  from  this,  a  freshness  and 
frankness  rendering  it  at  times  exceedingly  attractive.  On 
the  whole,  however,  his  manners  are  more  kingly  than  genial; 
and  were  it  not  that  he  is  loyal  and  abiding  in  his  friend- 
ship,— remembering  benefits  always,  and  rewarding  services 
at  every  hazard, — he  would  seem  more  likely  to  command 
respect  than  win  a  warmer  feeling.  Nevertheless,  there  were 
many  around  him,  at  that  day,  whose  devotion  scarce  knew 
bounds.  His  present  political  adversity  will  afford  him  an 
unhappy  opportunity  of  testing  their  sincerity  and  constancy. 
Rumor  says  that  Narvaez  has  acquired  large  wealth  by  his 
political  career.  It  would  be  strange  if  there  were  not  some 
truth  in  this,  for  what  Gongora  said  of  his  own  generation 
has  not  gone  out  of  fashion  : — 

"  La  corte  vende  su  gala. 
La  guerra  su  valentfa." 


118  SPAIN. 

Rare  is  the  public  servant,  now-a-days,  who  does  not  hive 
enough  honey,  from  a  summer  in  the  gardens  of  the  state,  to 
sweeten  the  remainder  of  his  days  !  I  remember  calling  upon 
a  venerable  gentleman,  who  had  filled  for  several  years,  with 
rare  ability  and  punctuality,  the  post  of  Finance  Minister 
under  Ferdinand  the  Seventh.  The  modest  simplicity  of  his 
household  arrangements  attracted  the  attention  of  my  com- 
panion, a  practised  courtier,  who  exclaimed  as  the  door 
closed  on  us,  "  How  unobtrusively  that  old  man  lives  !  Yet 
he  was  minister  ten  years !  One  who  is  minister  for  ten 
days,  now,  is  considered  simple  if  his  fortune  be  not  made ! " 
I  could  not  help  recalling  the  bitterness  of  an  apostrophe, 
which  I  had  just  read  in  a  contemporary  sketch  of  an  emi- 
nent person,  who,  like  our  host,  had  passed  without  reproach 
through  a  life  of  temptation  and  opportunity.  "  Console  not 
thyself,"  said  the  biographer,  "with  the  anticipation  that 
generations  yet  to  come  will  bless  thy  memory,  or  name  thee 
as  a  model  of  propriety  and  honor  !  In  the  unhappy  country 
where  thou  dwellest,  and  in  the  glorious  times  which  thou  and 
we  have  fallen  on,  though  he  who  steals  is  called  a  thief,  he 
who  steals  not  is  reckoned  but  a  fool  ! " 

An  anecdote,  related  to  me,  unreservedly,  by  one  of  the 
parties,  will  show,  that,  although  the  passage  just  cited  may 
have  slightly  exaggerated  the  evil  for  the  sake  of  the  antithesis, 
it  does  no  great  injustice  to  the  political  habits  of  the  capital. 
That  the  anecdote  should  be  true,  as  I  am  sure  it  is,  seems 
strange  enough.  That  it  should  have  been  told,  without 
hesitation,  is  stranger,  but  makes  it  the  more  characteristic, 
as  a  picture  of  public  and  private  morals. 

"  I  am  about  to  form  a  ministry,"  said  a  prominent  Deputy 
to  a  still  more  prominent  Senator, — "will  you  join  it?" 


SPAIN.  119 

"  No, — I  am  too  old,  and,  besides,  it  will  not  last." 

"Vaya  hombre!  Edd  vmd.  locof  Are  you  mad?  You 
are  surely  old  enough  to  be  wiser.  Take  a  secretaryship,  and 
pocket  all  you  can  get  hold  of.  When  you  are  tired,  or  have 
enough,  you  can  join  issue  with  the  administration,  on  the 
popular  side  of  some  exciting  question,  and  go  out  with  your 
gains,  in  patriotic  disgust.  Nobody  will  interfere  with  you, 
if  you  keep  quiet.  You  will  have  no  rivals,  because  you 
will  be  in  nobody's  way,  and  the  people  at  large  will  venerate 
you  too  much,  as  a  martyr,  to  think  of  molesting  you  or 
your  money." 

"  Y  era  sabio  el  consejo  ! — It  was  good  advice  too  ! "  said  the 
Senator ;  "  but  I  am  too  old  for  intrigues,  now :  and  besides, 
I  didn't  like  his  programme  ! " 

If  Narvaez  has,  indeed,  been  frail  enough  to  yield  to  the 
temptations  of  his  class  and  generation,  he  is,  nevertheless, 
entitled  to  the  credit  of  having  done  good  work  for  good 
wages, — which  is  saying  a  good  deal,  as  the  ways  of  politi- 
cians are  ordered  in  our  day.  An  Aristides  or  a  Washington 
is,  of  course,  the  best  model  for  a  statesman,  but  as  that  style 
is  not  prevalent  just  now, — except,  perhaps,  among  candidates 
for  the  Presidency  of  the  United  States, — nations  (in  the  Old 
World  at  least)  ought  to  be  satisfied,  if  they  can  compromise 
for  ability,  firmness,  and  nationality  in  their  rulers,  without 
looking  too  closely  into  their  accounts.  The  Hei-aldo  of 
Madi'id  administered,  one  day,  a  most  indignant  and  virtuous 
rebuke  to  some  curioso  impertinente  in  the  Patria,  who  dared 
to  suggest  that  the  Corregidor  of  Madrid  received  a  larger 
salary  than  he  was  worth.  "  To  sift  such  matters  too  closely," 
said  the  ministerial  organ, — taking  the  bull  by  the  horns,  in 


120  SPAIN. 

gallant  style,  like  a  true  Spaniard, — "is  to  trifle  with  the 
proper  importance  of  the  authorities,  and  to  take  away  from 
them  the  prestige  and  moral  force,  without  which  they  will 
not  be  respected ! "  Narvaez,  even  if  he  be  grasping,  is,  at  all 
events,  not  sordid, — having  all  the  good  qualities  of  a  soldier, 
though  he  may  have  some  of  the  faults  which  too  generally 
follow  military  men  into  the  exercise  of  civil  power.  In 
exile,  as  in  prosperity,  his  generous  impulses  have  never 
halted  at  personal  sacrifice.  In  the  capital,  as  Prime  Minis- 
ter, he  dispensed  a  liberal  and  magnificent  hospitality,  which 
must  have  scattered  his  harvest  almost  as  rapidly  as  it  was 
gathered.  In  this  particular,  his  practice  was  perhaps  the 
more  remarkable,  from  its  contrast  with  that  of  his  colleagues, 
into  whose  houses  no  one  was  ever  known  to  penetrate,  except 
an  occasional  burglar  or  a  man  with  a  present. 

A  conversation  which  took  place  before  me — and  to  which 
I  am  not  precluded  from  referring,  by  its  tenor  or  the  circum- 
stances under  which  I  heard  it — gives  so  fair  an  idea  of  the 
principles  of  action  by  which  Narvaez  has  raised  himself  to 
power,  that  I  may  very  properly  close  with  it  this  incidental 
review  of  his  most  salient  traits.  A  remark  was  made,  by 
one  of  the  company,  in  regard  to  the  large  number  of  robberies 
which  the  newspapers  had  recently  reported.  Narvaez  replied, 
that  he  had  no  doubt  there  was  much  exaggeration  in  them. 
"  I  have  been  hearing  of  such  things,  all  my  life,"  he  added, 
"  and  I  suppose  a  great  deal  that  I  have  heard  has  been  true. 
Yet  I  have  travelled,  alone,  in  every  part  of  Spain, — over 
plains  and  mountains, — by  night  and  by  day, — on  foot  and  in 
the  saddle, — often  without  arms,  and  sometimes  with  a  very 
full  purse, — without  having  once  met  a  highwayman,  to  my 


SPAIN.  121 

knowledge,— certainly  without  ever  having  been  robbed.  I 
cannot,  therefore,  help  thinking  that  I  have  a  right  to  my 
doubts,  and  that  the  reputation  of  the  country  is  entitled  to 
the  benefit  of  them."  "Your  Excellency's  experience  scarcely 
furnishes  any  basis  for  a  general  rule,"  was  the  reply.  "  Some 
men's  fortunes  {la  suerte  de  algunos)  are  proof  against  all  con- 
tingencies, and  those  of  your  Excellency  were  not  fashioned 
for  mishaps."  "  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  the  Duke,  I  have 
no  faith  in  any  luck,  except  that  which  arises  from  foresight 
and  care  (prevision  y  cuidado).  Luck  would  run  equal  and 
even  to  all  men,  in  a  year,  on  the  doctrine  of  chances,  and 
one  who  wants  more  of  it  than  other  men  must  make  it  for 
himself."  It  was  natural  enough  that  the  winner  of  such 
heavy  stakes  should  be  unwilling  to  let  the  cards  have  all  the 
credit  of  his  game.  As  a  loser,  perhaps,  he  might  have  had 
no  objection  to  throw  the  responsibility  on  la  suetie.  His 
life,  however,  has  been  an  active  illustration  of  his  sincerity 
in  what  he  said,  and  no  one  can  doubt  the  wisdom  of  his 
conclusions. 

Next  to  the  President  of  the  Council,  on  the  ministerial 
bench,  sat  the  Secretary  of  State,  the  Marquis  of  Pidal.  Like 
the  other  members  of  the  Cabinet,  he  was  among  the  nobleza 
nueva,  or  new  nobility,  having  been  formerly  plain  Don  Pedro 
Pidal,  without  any  marquisate,  and  having  come,  report  said, 
from  a  very  humble  origin.  The  Asturians,  however,  of 
whom  he  is  one,  are  all  nobles  in  a  certain  sense,  nobility 
having  been  gratefully  and  royally  bestowed,  by  the  wholesale 
and  in  advance,  upon  all  who  might  be  born  within  the 
Province,  as  a  reward  for  the  glorious  and  patriotic  efforts  of 
their  fathers,  who  fought  with  Don  Pelayo.  The  distinction 
16 


122  SPAIN. 

is,  no  doubt,  a  very  gratifying  one,  though  its  principal 
practical  benefit,  I  believe,  consists  in  giving  them  certain 
honorable  privileges,  should  they  happen  to  find  themselves 
under  the  band  of  the  penal  law.  Before  the  abolition  of 
hanging,  by  Ferdinand  the  Seventh,  the  Asturians  were 
exempt  from  the  degradation  of  that  uncomfortable  mode  of 
dismission.  They  were  entitled  to  be  garrote-d,  in  prefer- 
ence,— which  was  always  held  far  more  satisfactory  and 
creditable.  Not  only  that,  but  the  law  made  further  distinc- 
tions in  their  behalf.  The  garrote  is  either  vil  or  noble, — vile 
or  noble.  The  garrote  vil  does  a  gentleman  to  death  upon  a 
bare  platform  of  planks,  without  luxuries  or  appliances  of 
any  sort.  The  garrote  noble  refreshes  his  eyes  and  consoles 
his  feet  with  such  carpeting  as  he  and  his  friends  may  find 
suitable  to  their  taste  and  fortunes.  The  Asturians  were 
exempt  from  the  garrote  vil,  except  only  when  convicted  of 
leze-majesty.  For  all  other  offences,  they  had  the  right  to  the 
garrote  noble,  and  went  to  their  reward,  like  gentlefolk  as  they 
were,  according  to  the  statute  in  such  case  made  and  provided. 
I  take  it  for  granted  that  the  suppression  of  the  hangman 
has  not  impaired  this  inestimable  and  inalienable  privilege. 
Indeed,  to  allow  them  still  their  proper  and  equitable  rank, 
they  ought  to  be  entitled  to  such  an  improvement  in  their 
furniture,  on  such  occasions,  as  would  give  to  the  Asturian 
the  precise  degree  of  superiority  over  the  vulgar  garrote,  which 
the  garrote  itself,  in  its  totality,  once  enjoyed  over  the  gallows. 
But  I  am  wrong  in  saying  that  the  privilege  which  I  have 
mentioned  is  the  chief  benefit  the  Asturians  derive  from  their 
provincial  patent  of  nobility.  They  drive  a  brisk  trade,  it  is 
said,  in  entroncamientos,  or  family-trees,  which  they  sell  to  the 


iyPAIN.  123 

nouveaux  riches  from  other  provinces,  who,  like  the  Niger, 
have  no  source.  You  can  purchase  the  very  best  commodities 
of  that  sort,  in  the  Asturian  pedigree-market,  at  a  very 
reasonable  rate, — a  fact  which  may  not  be  altogether  un- 
interesting to  those  of  our  republican  countrymen  who  are 
in  the  habit  of  seeking  their  ancestral  arms  at  the  British 
Herald's  Office.  To  have  come  down  from  a  hero  who  wore 
sheepskin  breeches  in  the  days  of  Don  Pelayo,  is  quite  as 
respectable  as  to  have  descended  from 

"An  outridere  who  loved  venerie," 

in  the  times  of  the  red-headed  William,  and,  cceteris  paribus, 
cheapness  ought  to  be  a  guide  of  a  commercial  people,  even  in 
the  matter  of  purchasing  blue  blood. 

The  Marquis  of  Pidal — who  (with  the  reader)  must  pardon 
this  digression  to  his  Province — is  a  large  and  rather  heavy- 
looking  man.  He  might  readily  be  taken  for  the  grave, 
laborious  student  of  the  legal  antiquities  of  his  country  which 
he  is, — but  one  would  hardly  have  imagined  him  to  be  the 
best  debater,  as  he  was,  among  the  Moderados.  According  to 
the  character  I  had  of  him,  he  is,  by  natural  inclination,  a 
conservative,  somewhat  in  the  extreme, — so  that  he  carried  to 
the  discussions  in  the  Cortes  a  sincerity  of  conviction  which 
many  of  his  fellow-partisans  could  hardly  have  the  gravity  to 
claim.  Although  a  lawyer  of  eminent  attainments  in  the 
more  recondite  learning  of  his  profession,  he  had  not  acquired, 
by  any  large  devotion  to  its  practical  duties,  that  unfitness  for 
parliamentary  debate,  which  so  many  of  his  brethren,  in  other 
countries,  have  illustrated  by  conspicuous  failure.  Xor  had  he 
gone  sufficiently  beyond  those  fields  of  literature  and  history 


124  SPAIN. 

which  lie  near  his  own  peculiar  domain  of  legal  antiquariauism, 
to  embarrass  himself  with  the  broad  views  and  theoretical 
difficulties  which  sometimes  render  philosophical  statesmen  as 
unready  at  the  tribune  as  Athelstane  in  the  tourney.  He 
had  tact  and  logical  adroitness, — was  bold  and  confident, — 
denounced  the  recreant,  and  whipped  in  the  lagging, — asserted 
dogmatically  what  he  could  not  prove,  and  indignantly  denied 
what  could  not  be  proven  against  him.  If  need  were,  he 
could  be  sarcastic ;  if  pleasant  satire  suited  better,  he  was  no 
mean  master  of  the  weapon.  Generally  grave,  however,  he 
managed  to  surround  his  speeches  and  himself  with  an  atmos- 
phere and  earnestness  and  authority,  which  made  what  was 
true  the  more  effective,  and  kept  the  most  of  his  opponents 
from  laying  hands  profane  on  even  what  was  false.  All  who 
know  any  thing  of  popular  assemblies  and  the  oratory  which 
impresses  and  controls  them,  will  see  the  wisdom  of  the  choice 
which  made  Pidal,  with  such  abilities,  one  of  the  official 
defenders  of  the  Ministry. 

As  Secretary  of  State,  the  Marquis  was  less  of  an  acquisi- 
tion. His  general  attainments  were  said  to  be  limited,  and 
he  was  particularly  narrow,  it  was  reported,  in  his  knowledge 
of  foreign  countries,  and  his  views  of  foreign  policy.  His 
habits  of  business  were  so  extremely  sluggish,  that  they  had 
passed  into  a  proverb.  The  verb  pidalear,  framed  by  a  witty 
journalist  upon  his  name,  was  held  to  signify  the  utmost  effi^rt 
of  possible  dilly-dallying  and  procrastination.  The  influences 
which  had  made  him  prominent  were  not,  in  the  main,  his 
own ;  for  his  manners — which  do  much  in  Spain — had  some- 
what of  the  rustic  savor  that  his  mountain  education  naturally 
gave,  and  his  temper  was  by  no  means  of  the  plastic  sort. 


SPAIN.  125 

He  had,  however,  married  the  sister  of  the  former  Finance 
Secretary,  Don  Alejandro  Mon,  whose  superior  advantages 
and  real  ability,  with  an  excellent  talent  for  intrigue,  had 
given  him  access  to  the  springs  of  power.  The  alliance  made 
Pidal's  fortune,  and  doubtless  Mon  found  in  him  a  useful 
yoke-fellow.  They  went  generally  by  the  name  of  "  the 
brothers-in-law,"  and  their  friendsiiip  was  supposed  to  be  that 
of  Damon  and  Pythias,  rendered  additionally  durable  and 
affectionate  by  an  identity  of  interests.  They  were  both 
Queen  Cristina's  men,  and  were  supposed,  like  her  Majesty, 
to  have  no  very  sincere  regard  for  Narvaez,  who  had  an  un- 
pleasant will  of  his  own,  and  obstinately  refused  to  be  governed 
by  that  of  any  body  else.  It  was  for  this  reason  that,  as  I 
have  said,  they  considered  it  prudent  to  have  their  own  par- 
ticular interests  and  opinions  advocated  by  the  Pais,  instead 
of  making  common  cause  with  the  Ministry,  and  trusting  to 
its  formal  organ. 

]\Ion,  some  time  before,  had  left  his  place  in  the  Cabinet, 
probably  not  from  choice ;  and  he  was  believed,  when  I  was 
in  Madrid,  to  be  upon  such  equivocal  terms  with  the  Adminis- 
tration, as  to  render  it  probable  he  would  be  advised  to  visit 
London  for  his  health.  The  fiscal  policy  of  his  successor 
being,  however,  but  a  continuation  of  his  own,  he  came  for- 
ward to  defend  it  in  the  Cortes  during  the  debate  on  the 
budget.  His  speech  was  announced  some  days  beforehand, 
and,  as  it  was  looked  for  with  much  interest,  the  floor  was 
surrendered  to  him  at  his  discretion.  I  was  present  at  its 
delivery ;  but  it  was  one  so  purely  of  detail,  that  I  found 
myself  without  the  information  (or,  as  the  Spaniards  say,  los 
antecedcntes,  the  antecedents)  necessary  to  a  proper  ap})recia- 
tion  of  its  quality.     I  have  no  hesitation,  however,  in  saying 


126  SPAIN. 

that,  as  a  piece  of  elocution,  it  was  worthy  of  the  worst  pos- 
sible cause.  The  speaker's  voice  was  thin  and  weak,  his 
appearance  not  striking,  his  gesture  hasty  and  ungraceful, 
and  his  articulation  exactly  what  might  have  been  expected 
from  Demosthenes,  during  his  first  experiments  with  the 
pebbles.  All  parties,  nevertheless,  seemed  to  agree  that  the 
discourse  was  an  able  one,  and  it  certainly  was  bold,  explicit, 
and  manly.  I  was  glad  to  have  heard  it,  if  only  to  have 
learned  what  the  orator  authoritatively  declared,  that  the 
Ministry  intended  to  continue  the  modifications  of  the  tariff 
which  he  had  begun.  They  had  resolved,  he  said,  to  remove 
the  shackles  from  commerce  and  production,  and  not  to  protect 
the  one  to  the  destruction  of  the  other.  The  Catalan  Deputies 
of  course  cried  aloud,  in  anguish  of  spirit,  at  the  announce- 
ment, but  it  was  received  with  great  approbation  by  all  who 
were  not  manufacturers  themselves,  and  had  no  constituents  to 
whom  the  abuses  existing  gave  profits  of  two  hundred  per  cent. 
There  is  no  doubt  that,  if  the  muleteers  were  represented, 
as  a  class,  in  the  Cortes,  there  would  be  great  indignation  on 
the  part  of  their  Deputies  at  the  mention  of  a  railroad,  or  the 
most  delicate  suggestion  of  a  turnpike.  The  Asturian  water- 
carriers,  too, — through  their  honorable  representatives,  if  they 
had  such, — would  probably  be  vehement  in  their  denunciation 
of  any  change  in  the  system  of  hydraulics,  now  so  picturesquely 
carried  out  by  themselves  with  donkeys  and  jars.  But  neither 
these  good  people  nor  the  Catalonian  monopolists  have  any  right 
to  suppose  that  the  onerous  absurdities  and  clumsy  customs  of 
the  past  will  continue  for  ever  for  their  benefit,  or  that  Spain 
will  be  satisfied  to  lie  still,  like  a  leaf  in  an  eddy  by  the  shore, 
while  the  mighty  stream  of  civilization  and  development  sweeps 
the  rest  of  the  world  along. 


XIII. 

Sb.  Arrazola.— Bravo  Murillo.— The  Budget.— Ministerial  Move- 
ment.—The  Senate.— MoDERADO  Principles.— Bravo  Murillo's 
Speech. 

THE  parliamentary  pretensions  of  the  Count  of  San  Luis 
have  been  ah-eady  referred  to.    Don  Lorenzo  Arrazola, 
the  Minister  of  Grace  and  Justice,  had  but  little  reputation  as 
an  orator,  although  he  was  regarded  as  a  sharp  and  subtle 
disputant.      He  was  said   to  be  particularly  adroit   in  the 
defence  of  a  bad  cause,  and  as  the  government,  his  client, 
had  many  such,  his  services  were  proportionably  valuable. 
Although  he  had  not  practised   his  profession  to  any  great 
extent,  he  certainly  displayed  the  characteristics  of  a  ready, 
clever  advocate,  full  of  resource,  cunning  of  fence,  and,  like 
many  of  that  class,  not  over  scrupulous, — at  all  events,  in  his 
logic.     His  manner  was  not  impressive,  for,  though  full  of 
plausibility,  he  seemed   to   want   conviction.      In    fact,  the 
special   pleading   which   he   was   frequently  driven   to,  and 
for  which  he  seemed  to  have  a  natural  fondness  and  turn, 
impaired  the  substantial  strength  of  his  speeches, — as  indeed 
it  necessarily  must,  without  a  miracle,  destroy  the  vigor  of 
any  mind.     Don  Lorenzo's  aptness  at  finding  excuses  must 
have  been  of  singular  avail  to  him  in  his  particular  Depart- 

127 


128  SPAIN. 

ment, — the  enormous  patronage  of  which,  unless  managed 
with  great  adroitness,  was  as  likely  to  make  enemies  as 
friends.  I  was  often  interested  and  amused,  in  his  ante- 
chamber, watching  the  countenances  of  the  numerous  pre- 
tendientes  to  whom  he  gave  audience, — almost  all  of  whom 
came  out  with  smiling  faces, — many  of  them  no  doubt  for 
the  hundredth  time.  His  enemies,  political  and  personal,  of 
whom  he  had  many,  insisted  that  he  was  muyfalso,  marvel- 
lously insincere;  but  that  was  perhaps  more  in  the  trade 
and  the  circumstances  than  the  man.  In  early  life  he  was 
reported  to  have  been  a  sacristan,  and  afterwards  a  school- 
master, both  which  callings,  the  light  wits  of  the  opposition 
used  to  say,  were  conspicuous  in  his  manners  and  conversation. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  however,  he  was,  when  I  knew  him,  as  he 
had  for  some  time  been,  a  very  notable  person.  He  has  since 
been  transferred  to  a  distinguished  judicial  position,  which  I 
have  no  doubt  he  fills  with  great  respectability. 

In  his  Department,  Sr.  Arrazola  was  a  model  of  industry. 
His  duties,  as  has  been  said,  were  of  the  most  various  and 
complicated  kind,  but  his  activity  and  energy  kept  pace  with 
their  requirements.  No  one,  it  is  true,  knew  better  than  he 
the  virtues  of  that  "  masterly  inactivity,"  by  which  Spanish 
officials  put  an  end,  without  tangible  offence,  to  solicitations 
which  they  cannot  directly  refuse  to  entertain.  Yet  when  he 
intended  to  be  punctual,  or  found  it  necessary,  no  one  could 
be  more  prompt  and  business-like.  His  audiences  began  at 
an  earlier  hour,  and  lasted  longer,  than  those  of  any  of  his 
colleagues.  His  personal  participation  in  the  labors  of  his 
bureau  was  greater  by  far  than  was  customary  among  per- 
sonages of  his  grade,  and  yet,  even  during  the  sessions  of  the 


SPAIN.  129 

Cortes,  which  occupied  him  several  hours  daily,  he  found 
leisure  to  contribute  regularly  to  an  encyclopaedia  of  political 
and  civil  law,  which  was  then  published  periodically  in  the 
capital,  with  the  highest  approbation  of  the  profession.  AVhen 
it  is  borne  in  mind,  that  the  ministerial  departments  in  Spain 
are  very  paradises  of  the  dolce  far  nietite, — where  labor  is  so 
comfortably  distributed,  that  its  stages  are  counted  by  the 
cigarritos  which  young  gentlemen  of  spirit  can  demolish 
between  a  very  late  breakfast  and  an  early  dinner  or  earlier 
paseo, — it  will  not  be  wondered  that  a  man  of  Arrazola's 
habits  and  capacity  for  affairs  should  have  climbed  with 
moderate  luck  to  the  high  places  of  the  state.  A  genius  for 
intrigue  is  no  doubt  an  excellent  item  of  capital  for  a  politi- 
cian ;  charlatanism,  too,  has  frequently  its  miraculous  uses, 
and  a  fortunate  hit  or  a  happy  accident  will  often  achieve,  in 
a  moment,  what  a  lifetime  of  merit  and  toil  will  end  in  vain 
search  of.  In  the  main,  nevertheless, — though  the  notion 
may  seem  a  strange  one, — the  surest  method  of  attaining 
station  is  to  be,  in  some  sort,  fit  for  it.  Half  the  pains  men 
sometimes  take  to  pass  themselves  off  for  what  they  are 
not,  would  suffice,  in  many  instances,  to  make  them  what 
they  ought  to  be.  It  must,  upon  the  whole,  be  a  more 
costly  and  laborious  process  to  win  by  cheating,  than  to  lose 
with  unsoiled  hands.  Whether  Sr.  Arrazola  embodied  the 
cardinal  virtues  or  not,  can  make  no  difference  in  the  truth 
of  these  reflections. 

Don  Juan  Bravo  Murillo,  the  Minister  of  Finance,  was 

oftener  heard  in  the  Cortes  than  any  of  his  colleagues.     In 

truth,  he  had  no  sinecure ;  for  money,  which  is  only  the  root 

of  all  evil  elsewhere,  has  in  Spanish  politics  possession  of  the 

17 


130  SPAIN. 

whole  tree,  and,  to  be  safely  intrusted  with  its  cultivation  and 
the  gathering  and  keeping  of  its  golden  apples,  a  man  must 
be  of  long  suifering,  as  of  sharp  eyes  and  busy  hands.     It  is 
an  occupation  which  no  doubt  pays  well,  when  fairly  under- 
stood and  wisely  exercised,  but  it  has  its  manifold  tribulations, 
notwithstanding,  like   all   other   the   good   things  of  earth. 
Every  one  knows  that  the  Spanish  treasury  has  long  been  free 
from  any  symptoms  of  plethora.     Sr.  Bravo  Murillo  conse- 
quently found  himself,  like  many  of  his  predecessors,  in  a 
quadruple  quandary.     He  had  to  pay  expenses,  and  if  he  did 
not  keep  himself  in  funds,  the  mouths  which  he  left  empty 
had  no  other  occupation  than  to  cry  aloud  and  spare  him  not. 
If  he  talked  of  increasing  the  taxes,  the  voices  of  those  who 
were  to  pay  them,  and  of  all  the  economists  and  calculators 
in  the  Cortes,  were  lifted  up,  in  chorus,  against  him.     If,  by 
way  of  compromising   matters,  he   made   promises, — to  the 
hungry,  to  feed  them  when  he  could  get  the  means, — and  to 
the   tax-payers,  to   devise   some   scheme   of   raising    money 
without  taxation, — he  was  of  course  called  on  to  redeem  both 
promises  at  once,  which  he  could  not  find  other  than  incon- 
venient.    If,  in  his  despair,  he  dared  to  name  the  only  possible 
mode  of  salvation, — the  suppression  of  fiscal  abuses,  the  aboli- 
tion of  useless  offices,  the  reduction  of  overgrown  salaries,  the 
introduction  of  strict,  manly,  prudent  economy  into  all  branches 
of  the  public  service, — the  sting  of  every  drone  in  the  hive 
pierced  him  at  once, — the  present  and  the  future  were  in  arms 
against  him, — those  who  had  and  those  who  hoped  to  have. 
What  was  he  to  do,  then  ?     His  estimates  fell  below  his  ne- 
cessities, and  his  collections  were  sure  to  fall  below  his  esti- 
mates.    He  had  no  alternative  left,  but  to  keep  his  temper, 


SPAIN.  131 

and  make  speeches, — which  taxed  nothing  but  the  pubh'c 
patience.  The  Progreaistas  besieged  him  in  front,  and  he  re- 
turned their  fire  with  his  best  battery.  Sr.  Gonzalez  Bravo, 
an  enemy  from  the  Moderado  camp,  gave  him  a  shot  from  the 
rear,  and  Sr.  Bermudez  de  Castro,  Sr.  Moron,  and  others  of 
the  same  political  fellowship,  planted  guns  on  his  flanks.  He 
threw  them  back  ball  for  ball,  and  shell  for  shell.  His  foes — 
and  especially  those  of  the  Moderado  opposition — were  not 
satisfied  with  attacking  his  views,  which  were  surely  vulnerable 
enough,  but  must  needs  set  up  theories  and  schemes  of  their 
own,  which  were  perhaps  more  so.  Like  a  prudent  man,  he 
immediately  turned  on  the  offensive,  and  if  he  did  not  succeed 
in  demolishing  the  projects  of  the  adversary,  he  at  least  with- 
drew attention  from  his  own,  which  was  quite  as  well. 

It  seems  to  me,  that  I  rarely,  during  any  of  my  visits  to  the 
Chamber  of  Deputies,  escaped  finding  Sr.  Murillo,  at  some 
time  or  other,  and  for  a  long  time,  on  his  feet.  His  voice  and 
manner  were  so  exceedingly  monotonous  and  invariable,  that 
he  appeared  to  be  always  saying  the  same  thing  in  the  same 
way, — and,  indeed,  I  am  hardly,  to  this  day,  sure  that  he  was 
not.  Lord  Castlereagh  and  Moore's  pump  seemed  to  be  his 
models  of  elocution,  and  the  "cheerful,  voluntary  air"  and 
virtuous  expression  with  which  he  took  and  gave  his  blows, 
must  have  been  studied  from  Elia's  portrait  of  the  happy 
borrower.  On  one  occasion,  however,  when  he  had  the  game 
in  his  own  hands,  I  heard  him  speak  out,  boldly,  aggressively, 
and  without  reserve.  The  occasion  and  his  sentiments  will 
illustrate  the  reverence  with  which  constitutional  forms  and 
liberal  principles  were  treated  by  the  Moderados,  when  they 
chose  to  give  themselves  the  rein. 


132  SPAIN. 

The  constitution  requires  that  the  presupucstos,  or  financial 
estimates,  shall  be  presented  to  the  Cortes,  in  due  course,  with 
the  plan  and  rates  of  taxation  proposed,  for  consideration  and 
discussion.  The  government,  under  various  pretexts,  had 
postponed  the  discharge  of  this  disagreeable  duty  until  the 
latest  possible  day ;  but  the  budget  had,  at  the  time  I  am  about 
to  refer  to,  been  for  some  short  period  in  the  possession  of  the 
legislature.  Several  of  the  Deputies  had  given  notice  of  their 
intention  to  submit  views  and  reports  upon  various  interesting 
points,  and  the  whole  policy  of  the  administration,  financial 
and  of  all  other  sorts,  had  already  begun  to  undergo  able  and 
critical  examination.  In  point  of  parliamentary  ability,  the 
opposition  had,  unequivocally,  the  advantage,  besides  having 
the  right,  as  well  as  the  popular,  side  of  the  principal  questions 
in  controversy.  The  government,  it  is  true,  exercised  absolute 
control  over  a  large  and  subservient  majority,  but,  although 
the  legislative  triumph  of  its  measures  was  thus  placed  beyond 
the  reach  of  doubt,  there  was  no  concealing  the  fact,  that  the 
speeches  of  the  opposition  members  were  producing,  and  were 
likely  further  to  produce,  a  most  serious  impression  on  the 
public  mind.  This  result — the  great  end  and  aim  of  free  dis- 
cussion— it  became  necessary  for  the  administration  to  avert. 
It  could  not  be  prevented  without  a  violation  of  the  spirit  of 
the  constitution,  but  Narvaez  was  not  a  man  to  be  balked  by 
trifles  of  that  sort.  As  usual,  he  spared  circumlocution  and 
pretence,  and  went  directly  to  his  point.  On  the  8th  of 
January,  the  Minister  of  Finance  made  his  appearance  in  the 
Cortes,  in  full  uniform,  and,  ascending  the  tribune,  read  the 
draft  of  a  brief  statute,  wherein  her  Majesty,  with  the  appro- 
bation of  the  Cortes,  declared,  in  a  single  clause,  that  the 


SPAIN.  133 

whole  budget  was  a  law,  in  the  lump,  as  it  stood,  to  the  same 
eifect  as  if  duly  considered  and  adopted  in  each  and  all  of  its 
parts.  The  Chamber  was  taken  al^ack.  Indignation,  astonish- 
ment, and  denunciation  were  in  the  countenances  and  on  the 
lips  of  the  opposition.  Even  the  trained  bands  of  the  Ministry 
were  staggered  by  the  downright  boldness  of  the  blow.  But 
there  was  no  child's  play  meant.  The  decree  was  introduced 
to  be  adopted,  and  it  was  soon  understood  that,  when  that 
work  should  be  done,  the  Cortes  were  to  be  prorogued,  with  a 
view  to  their  speedy  dissolution.  The  project  was  referred  to 
a  committee  of  ministerial  partisans,  who,  after  taking  their 
own  time,  reported  it  back  to  the  house,  precisely  as  it  had 
been  given  to  them.  Some  of  the  opposition  presses,  which 
took  strong  ground  against  the  outrage,  had  the  editions  of 
their  papers  which  were  most  oflfensive  suppressed  by  order 
of  the  authorities.  In  the  meantime,  when  the  project  came 
again  before  the  house,  a  few  prominent  Deputies  of  the  oppo- 
sition were  allowed,  for  appearance'  sake,  to  deliver  speeches 
against  it.  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  hear  the  most  of  them, 
and  some  were  singularly  eloquent  and  powerful.  The  ablest 
speakers  on  the  government  side  rejoined,  and  Narvaez  himself 
concluded  the  debate.  By  the  end  of  the  month,  the  whole 
ceremony  was  through,  and  the  law  passed  by  an  overwhelming 
majority.  The  "  previous  question  "  might  have  done  the 
thing  with  a  little  more  despatch,  and  after  what  we  are  in 
the  habit  of  considering — but  why,  I  know  not — a  more  re- 
publican manner.  No  process,  however,  which  is  known  to 
legislation,  Eastern  or  Western,  could  have  compassed  its 
object  with  more  perfect  simplicity  and  success. 

The    Deputies,    having    performed    their    functions,    were 
adjourned,  from  time  to  time,  till  the  Senate  could  give  its 


134  SPAIN. 

countersign.  In  that  august,  but  dutiful  body,  the  result 
could  not  be  long  in  doubt ;  but  even  there  the  government 
pursued  its  usual  course,  and  countenanced  the  forms  of  oppo- 
sition. A  few  of  the  refractory  Senators  were  permitted  to 
refresh  themselves  by  saying  what  they  thought,  and  the 
coryphaei  of  the  government  did  their  best  to  counteract  the 
poison  so  disseminated.  It  was  in  winding  up  on  the  minis- 
terial side  of  the  debate,  that  Bravo  Murillo  announced  the 
views  to  which  I  have  alluded. 

"  Senators,"  he  said,  "  talked  of  a  reduction  of  the  army. 
They  forgot  that  armies  were  an  element  of  primary  impor- 
tance in  modern  governments.  All  government  depended  for 
its  security  on  one  of  two  things, — the  influence  of  the  clergy, 
or  the  military  power.  Clerical  influence,  the  support  of  the 
late  absolute  government  in  Spain,  had  been  destroyed, — 
whether  for  good  or  for  ill  there  was  no  need  that  he  should 
say ;  though,  so  far  as  his  own  opinion  was  concerned,  he  had 
no  hesitation  in  saying  that  it  was  for  ill.  At  all  events, 
however,  it  existed  no  longer,  and  there  was  nothing  left  in 
its  absence  to  protect  society,  to  maintain  order,  to  support 
government,  but  the  military  arm.  It  was  useless  to  talk 
about  relying  on  the  municipalities,  for  they  were  not  worthy 
of  reliance ;  and  as  to  the  national  militia,  it  was  both  costly 
and  unsafe.  It  took  men  from  the  field,  from  the  workshop, 
and  from  commerce, — paralyzing  those  vital  departments  of 
industry,  and  putting  arms,  besides,  in  dangerous  hands. 
There  was  nothing  left  but  standing  armies, — and  cuidado  ! 
let  Senators  bear  in  mind,  that  modern  society,  this  society 
of  progress,  and  learning,  and  civilization,  and  ideas,  is 
not    easily   kept    down.      It    requires  a   larger    force    than 


SPAIN.  135 

older  societies  needed,  and  if  we  happen  to  live  in  such 
a  state  of  things,  we  must  be  content  to  meet  the  heavier 
obligations  it  imposes." 

He  then  touched  upon  the  subject  of  a  reduction  of  taxes. 
"  As  to  economy,"  he  said,  "  it  was  ridiculous  to  ask  it  in  the 
manner  in  which  it  was  urged.  He  did  not  and  would  not 
pretend — he  should  be  disparaging  himself  were  he  to  pre- 
tend— that  he  could  reduce  the  amount  of  contributions  a 
single  cuarto.  Tliere  was  not  one  maravedi  too  much  levied. 
The  country  was  quite  rich  enougli  to  bear  the  present  taxes. 
It  ought  to  bear  them,  and  ought  not  to  complain  of  them. 
He  was  willing  and  anxious  to  practice  all  possible  economy 
in  the  collection  of  the  revenue,  so  as  to  make  it  produce 
what  it  was  capable  of,  to  the  utmost.  But  even  in  that  par- 
ticular very  little  could  be  done  at  this  day, — very  little  dur- 
ing this  generation.  He  wished  these  things  to  be  thoroughly 
understood,  so  that  he  might  not  hereafter  be  reproached  with 
creating  false  hopes  or  making  delusive  promises." 

When  I  looked,  afterwards,  at  the  authorized  reports  of 
this  speech,  I  found  that  its  broad  doctrines  and  expressions 
had  been  so  considerably  modified,  as  to  render  them  com- 
paratively unobjectionable.  The  report,  however,  which  I 
have  given  above,  is  correct,  to  ray  own  knowledge ;  for  I 
was  so  much  startled  at  the  bold  avowal  of  such  sentiments, 
that  I  took  particular  note  of  the  speech  on  the  spot.  The 
reader  will  appreciate  the  force  of  those  facts  which  refer  to 
the  revenue,  when  he  learns  that  the  estimates  for  1849-50 
were  about  twelve  hundred  millions  of  reals,  or  sixty  millions 
of  dollars !  Sr.  Lopez  stated  in  the  debate,  without  contra- 
diction, that  the  cost  of  collecting  was  about  twenty-one  per 


136  SPAIN. 

cent. ;  so  that,  to  realize  what  the  Ministry  asserted  was  the 
lowest  amount  of  indispensable  expenditure  on  the  part  of  the 
central  government,  the  nation  required  to  be  taxed  at  least 
seventy  millions  of  dollars.  "  It  was  certainly  consoling  to 
the  present  generation  to  know/'  said  Sr.  Lopez,  "and  he 
thanked  the  Minister  for  his  kindness  in  telling  them,  that 
things  might  possibly  be  better,  after  all  who  were  now  living 
had  passed  away  from  taxes  and  tax-gatherers."  Justice  to 
Sr.  Murillo,  however,  makes  it  proper  to  add,  that  his  subse- 
quent financial  measures  have  displayed  ability  and  wisdom, 
and  have  given  a  new  and  vigorous  impulse  to  public  confi- 
dence and  private  enterprise. 


xiy. 

General  FiorEKAs.— Roca  de  Togores.— Alexandre  Ditmas. — 
Southern  Oratory. — Olozaga. — Escosura. — Benavides. — Donoso 
Cortes. — Their  Speeches. 

THE  other  members  of  the  Cabinet  were  without  any 
particular  parliamentary  celebrity  that  I  am  aware  of, 
and  I  seldom  found  any  of  them  upon  the  floor,  except  the 
ci-devant  General  Figueras,  Marquis  of  Constancia,  and  then 
Secretary  at  War.  He  was  a  bright-looking,  combustible  old 
gentleman,  who  made  it  a  point  to  be  chivalric  and  excited 
whenever  the  sanctity  of  his  Department  was  invaded  by  rude 
questionings ;  and  as  the  extent  and  expense  of  the  military 
establishment  were  matters  of  daily  comment  in  the  Cortes, 
the  silken  banners  of  his  eloquence  had  no  occasion  to  feed 
the  moth.  A  man  in  a  passion,  however,  though  perhaps 
more  or  less  dangerous  in  a  personal  point  of  view,  is  not 
usually  effective  as  an  orator,  and  it  consequently  happened 
that  the  gallant  Marquis  rarely  rose  to  speak  without  putting 
the  house  in  a  good  humor,  though  he  generally  seemed  to  be 
in  a  very  bad  one  himself.  Yet  his  discourses,  though  fiery, 
were  but  "  brief  candles,"  and  for  this,  at  all  events,  his  style 
deserves  to  be  praised  a  good  deal  more  than  it  is  likely  to 
be  imitated. 

18  137 


138  SPAIN. 

The  Minister  of  Marine  Affairs,  the  Marquis  of  Molins, 
under  his  original  and  more  euphonious  name  of  Roca  de 
Togores,  had  acquired  considerable  reputation  as  a  poet  and 
man  of  letters.  He  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  a  friend  of 
Alexandre  Dumas,  who  called  him  "  Rocca,"  and  pronounced 
him  "one  of  the  first  poets,  and  most  spirihiel  men  of  Spain." 
Nay,  more,  the  illustrious  author  of  the  "Impressions^^  did 
not  hesitate  to  prophesy  that  "  Rocca  "  would  be  a  Minister 
if  he  lived, — just  as  their  common  friend,  the  Duke  of  Osuna, 
might  at  any  time  have  been,  had  his  tastes  carried  him  that 
way.  It  may  be,  that,  from  this  indorsement  of  his  merits, 
the  Marquis  of  Molins  is  known  the  better  beyond  the  limits 
of  his  countrv ;  but  as  M.  Dumas  did  not  understand  one 
word  of  Spanish,  and  the  Duke  of  Osuna  (rest  his  soul !)  had 
no  promptings  from  his  genius  to  be  any  thing  but  a  jockey, 
the  Marquis  himself  could  hardly  have  felt  much  compli- 
mented by  his  friend's  appreciation  of  his  abilities,  literary 
or  political.  The  prophecy  nevertheless  came  true,  and  before 
the  travels  of  Dumas  were  given  to  the  world,  "  Rocca"  was 
intrusted  with  the  control  of  a  Department,  whose  ancient 
glories  might  have  fed  his  loftiest  inspiration,  as  its  actual 
exigencies  taxed  his  utmost  ingenuity.  I  may  have  occasion 
to  speak  of  the  impulse  which  the  navy  received  under  his 
administration.  His  parliamentary  career  was  without  inter- 
est, during  the  opportunities  I  had  of  observing  it. 

The  reader  would  hardly  care  to  know,  with  any  particu- 
larity, the  manner  or  merits  of  the  various  members  of  the 
Cortes,  who,  with  more  or  less  ability  and  domestic  reputa- 
tion, took  part  in  the  debates  I  witnessed.  A  traveller 
belonging  to  a  more  impassible  and  less  demonstrative  race 


SPAIN.  139 

can  scarcely  be  considered  a  fair  critic  of  Southern  eloquence, 
until  custom  has  familiarized  him  with  its  peculiarities.  The 
vivacity  and  earnestness  which  an  excitable  nature  imparts, 
even  to  ordinary  conversation,  are  of  course  heightened  by  the 
intenser  stimulus  and  more  elevated  subjects  of  public  dis- 
cussion, and  the  style  and  gesture  of  the  speaker  thus  appear, 
to  unfamiliar  eyes  and  ears,  sometimes  extravagant,  if  not 
unnatural.  We  forget  that  the  defect  may  be  in  our  stand- 
ard, not  in  the  thing  we  judge.  We  forget  that  our  nature 
is  not  all  of  nature, — that  our  enthusiasm  seems  as  cold  to 
an  Italian  or  a  Spaniard,  as  his  lightest  expression  of  emotion 
seems  overdone  to  us.  Friends,  parted  for  a  little  while, 
in  those  more  genial  climates,  rush,  when  they  meet  again, 
into  each  other's  arms,  though  all  the  world  be  looking  on. 
Among  "  the  natives  of  the  moral  North,"  the  rare  caress  is 
made  almost  a  household  secret;  the  most  sincere  and  deep 
emotion  seems  most  ashamed  to  show  itself,  sometimes  even 
to  its  object.  It  is  not  necessary  to  determine  under  which 
manner  lies,  in  general,  the  truer  and  intenser  heart.  It  may 
be  that  feelings,  like  odors,  are  wasted  by  diffusion ;  or  that, 
like  colors,  they  fade  from  too  constant  exposure.  There  is 
no  doubt,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  systematic  restraint  of 
emotion,  or  of  its  display,  has  sometimes  the  effect  of  deaden- 
ing, if  not  destroying,  it  at  last.  Nature  has  probably  some 
scheme  of  compensation  by  which  she  equalizes  the  substance 
without  reference  to  the  forms. 

But,  let  the  thing  signified  be  as  it  may,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  signs  are  constitutionally  and  naturally  ditler- 
ent.  Every  man  feels  it,  every  man  under  its  influence  is 
prompted  to  pronounce  unnatural  what  comes  in  conflict  with 


140  SPAIN. 

the  habits  of  his  nature,  or  the  seeming  nature  given  him  by 
education.  The  reader,  who,  without  previous  experience 
and  preparation,  may  have  visited  the  Stanze  of  Raphael  in 
the  Vatican,  can  scarcely  fail  to  remember  how  this  feeling 
modified  his  first  impressions  of  delight  and  wonder.  The 
lofty  attitude  and  gesture,  the  gorgeous  coloring,  heroic  mien, 
and  bold,  broad  drapery,  seemed  to  him,  doubtless,  for  a  while, 
theatrical  and  overwrought.  It  needed  reflection  and  habit, 
and  some  sympathy  with  the  true  soul  of  art,  to  teach  him 
that  he  was  measuring  by  the  scale  of  his  dull  organs,  his 
colder  temperament,  and  unkindled  taste,  what  was  addressed 
to  the  sensibilities  of  a  more  voluptuous  fibre,  to  feelings  of  a 
warmer  birth,  and  minds  of  which  imagination  is  the  mould. 
The  same  process  of  criticism  which  made  him  halt  in  his 
admiration  would  take  away  from  Oriental  fancy  every  thing 
but  its  grotesqueness, — would  make  Ariosto  a  retailer  of  en- 
chanted follies,  Dante  a  madman,  and  Calderou  a  rhapsodist. 
The  influences  which  fill  the  bright  air  of  the  South  with 
birds  of  various  and  splendid  plumage, — which  hang  the  fruit 
of  gold  on  the  ungrafted  boughs,  and  cover  the  uncultivated 
fields  with  miraculous  bloom  and  fragrance, — give  to  the 
thoughts  and  fancies  springing  'mid  them  the  same  luxuriance 
and  glow.  It  is  not  in  the  colder  zones  that  we  can  learn  to 
sympathize  with  these.  The  hands  which  clipped  the  orange- 
gardens  at  Versailles  were  hardly  fit  to  paint  the  prodigality 
of  Cintra. 

I  would  not  by  any  means  be  understood,  from  the  turn  of 
the  preceding  reflections,  as  meaning  to  institute  a  comparison 
of  excellence  between  the  oratory  of  the  Spanish  legislative 
assemblies  and  that  of  similar  bodies  in  other  nations.      I 


SPAIN.  141 

have  simply  designed  to  suggest  tliat  they  are  different  things, 
regulated  by  canons  widely  different.  I  merely  deprecate  the 
criticism  which  regards  their  natural  dissimilarity  as  a  ground 
of  objection  to  that  style  with  which  the  critic  is  least  familiar. 
It  may  be,  perhaps,  from  some  lack  of  catholicity  in  my  own 
taste,  that  I  thought  the  Spanish  speakers  often  weakened  the 
effect,  and  marred  in  some  particulars,  in  the  delivery,  the 
grace  of  their  most  eloquent  discourses.  Their  utterance,  for 
example,  was  frequently  so  rapid,  as  to  convey  a  painful  idea 
of  effort  and  haste ;  their  gestures,  almost  universally,  had  the 
frequency  and  quickness  of  excited  conversation,  rather  than 
the  bold  dignity  of  high  passion.  I  was  not,  it  is  true, 
fortunate  enough  to  hear  some  whose  reputations  placed  them 
in  the  highest  rank.  Martinez  de  la  Rosa — probably,  on  the 
whole,  the  first  orator  of  Spain,  desi)ite  his  age — was  absent 
as  Ambassador  at  Rome.  His  rival,  Galiano,  to  whom  I 
shall  refer  hereafter,  did  not  speak  in  the  Cortes,  to  my 
knowledge,  during  my  residence  in  Madrid.  Sr.  Olozaga, 
one  of  the  heads  of  the  Progresistas, — deemed  by  many  the 
most  accomplished  speaker  among  the  Deputies,  and  certainly 
endowed  with  physical  and  mental  gifts,  such  as  might  well 
command  a  senate, — took  little  part  in  the  debates  of  the 
session.  I  lost  by  accident  the  only  chance  I  had  of  hearing 
him,  at  any  length,  on  an  occasion  which  elicited  his  powers. 
It  was  a  source  of  the  more  regret  to  me,  from  the  fact 
that  he  is  a  Castilian,  which  few  of  the  most  prominent 
speakers  are,  and  not  only  possesses  the  language  in  its 
utmost  purity  of  pronunciation  and  construction,  but  in  his 
manner  illustrates  the  gravity  and  dignity  of  the  national 
style  in  its  best  type. 


142  SPAIN. 

Of  those  whom  I  heard  in  the  Cortes,  the  most  attractive 
orator  to  me  was  Don  Patricio  de  la  Escosura, — certainly  I 
have  listened  to  very  few,  anywhere,  with  as  much  gratification. 
He  had  not  long  returned  to  Spain,  under  the  amnesty  of 
1849, — having  fled  to  France  with  Olozaga,  under  sentence 
of  banishment  to  the  Philippine  Islands,  after  the  suppression 
of  the  Madrid  insurrection,  in  1848.  That  abortive  outbreak 
the  government  insisted  on  considering  as  the  joint  work  of 
the  Progresistas  and  Sir  Henry  Bulwer ;  and  when  Narvaez 
made  bold  to  dismiss  the  plenipotentiary  of  one  of  the  most 
powerful  nations  of  Europe,  for  that  cause,  he  was  not  in  a 
vein  to  lay  light  hands  on  the  leaders  of  his  domestic  oppo- 
sition. That,  with  a  knowledge  of  the  parliamentary  abilities 
of  the  two  gentlemen  referred  to,  he  should  have  permitted 
them  to  return  to  their  country  and  the  public  councils,  speaks 
loudly  for  his  confidence  and  courage,  though  perhaps  not  less 
for  his  sagacity  under  the  circumstances.  Nothing  can  be 
more  popular  than  magnanimity,  with  a  chivalrous  nation, — 
nay,  with  the  people  at  large,  in  any  nation  ;  and  when  a  ruler 
has  strength  enough  to  practise  it,  he  must  be  very  unwise  if 
he  permits  himself  to  lose  the  opportunity.  But  if  Narvaez 
found  the  amnesty  politic  on  the  whole,  Escosura's  speeches 
must  certainly  have  satisfied  him  that  the  good  was  not  un- 
qualified. The  tribulation  through  which  Don  Patricio  had 
passed  had  not  bent  the  independence  of  his  mind  or  speech. 
His  denunciations  were  so  glittering,  his  satire  was  so  keen, 
his  style  so  graceful,  his  manner  so  effective,  that  the  minis- 
terial benches  often  echoed  the  plaudits  of  the  opposition.  I 
have  seen  even  Narvaez  smile  with  genuine  delight,  at  some 
pointed,  happy  hits  of  his,  and  have  heard  him  cry  out 
'^Blen!"  enthusiastically,  at  some  eloquent  apostrophe.     Be- 


SPAIN.  143 

sides  being  one  of  the  most  gmoeful  poets  and  scholars  of  his 
nation,  Escosura  had  high  personal  gifts  as  a  speaker.  He 
was  in  the  prime  of  life,  with  a  good  figure  and  attractive  face. 
His  voice  was  soft  and  musical,  with  an  occasional  tremor  in 
it,  which  carried  his  pathos  to  the  heart.  His  bolder  tones 
were  clear  and  ringing,  and  his  articulation,  even  when  most 
rapid  and  excited,  was  perfectly  distinct.  His  humorous  and 
histrionic  powers,  which  were  considerable,  were  managed  with 
great  adroitness,  and  enabled  him  to  barb  and  point  an  insin- 
uation, in  a  manner  which  I  have  never  seen  surpassed. 
Every  speech  that  he  made  enhanced  his  reputation,  and  so 
attractive  were  the  qualities  of  his  character  esteemed,  that  the 
name  which  he  was  building  did  not  seem  to  cast  one  envious 
shadow. 

Among  the  Moderado  opposition,  although  there  were 
several  able  men  and  effective  speakers,  the  most  formidable 
to  the  government  was  Don  Antonio  Benavides,  a  deputy 
from  the  district  of  Jaen.  This  gentleman  had  been  in  power 
himself,  was  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  ministerial  ways 
of  doing  things,  and  possessed  great  familiarity  with  public 
affairs.  His  oratorical  aspirations  were  by  no  means  high, 
but  he  was  a  capital  debater,  in  the  business-like  and  best 
sense  of  the  term.  He  carried  into  the  parliamentary  struggle 
a  mind  which  was  quick  and  versatile,  at  the  same  time  that 
it  was  comprehensive  and  well  poised.  He  was  full  of  histor- 
ical philosophy,  but  it  was  of  the  practical  sort,  and  he  had  a 
sense  of  the  ridiculous,  which  enabled  him  constantly  to  place 
in  most  amusing  and  resistless  contrast  the  professions  and 
practices  of  the  administration.  His  cool  dexterity  and  ad- 
mirable temper  were  proof  against  ministerial   interruptions 


1-14  SPAIN. 

and  arrogance,  as  well  as  the  embarrassments  which  the  chair 
threw,  as  often  as  possible,  iu  his  way.  He  could  always 
manage  to  have  the  last  word,  when  he  wanted  it,  and  never 
took  it  without  making  it  tell.  He  could  throw  an  argument 
into  a  personal  explanation,  in  spite  of  tlie  rules  of  order  and 
the  President ;  and  even  ventured  a  gibe,  when  it  served  his 
turn,  at  the  inviolable  person  of  the  Prime  Minister.  His 
pleasantry  was  too  attractive  for  even  the  firmest  of  the  minis- 
terial adherents  to  be  above  its  influence ;  and  as  nothing  is 
so  dangerous  as  laughter  to  pasteboard  greatness,  it  was  in 
this  point  of  view,  perhaps,  that  he  was  most  obnoxious  to 
the  administration.  "  The  honorable  Deputy,"  said  Sartorius 
of  him  one  day,  "  has  caused  great  merriment  by  his  obser- 
vations. It  may  be  a  question,  however,  whether  a  gentle- 
man has  reason  to  congratulate  himself,  because  his  rising  to 
speak  in  the  councils  of  his  country  is  but  the  signal  for  a 
general  smile." 

"  Blame  me  not,  sir,"  was  the  reply,  "  for  the  hilarity  which 
these  details  may  have  provoked  in  the  chamber.  I  do  not 
invent, — I  only  describe.  If  things  are  ridiculous,  it  is  the 
fault  of  those  who  make  them  so.  I  crave  your  pardon,  sir, 
for  the  presumption  of  my  illustration,  but  I  have  never  heard 
that  Moliere  was  responsible  for  human  meanness  and  hy- 
pocrisy, because  he  made  them  palpable  in  Tartuffe  and  the 
Avare." 

A  single  ex})ressiou,  in  one  of  the  speeches  of  Benavides, 
did  more  to  affect  the  popularity  of  a  prominent  government 
measure  than  it  is  easy  to  conceive,  where  the  appreciation  and 
influence  of  humor  are  less  universal  and  decided  than  in 
Spain.     For  some  reason,  not  very  comprehensible,  a  law  was 


SPAIN.  145 

introduced  to  change  tlie  whole  system  of  fiscal  and  civil  ad- 
ministration in  the  provinces,  by  removing  the  Intendants  and 
Political  Chiefs,  and  creating  a  class  of  officers  called  Pro- 
vincial Governors,  in  their  stead.  For  some  other  reason, 
equally  unintelligible,  but  probably  much  more  nearly  con- 
nected with  personal  interests  and  the  dispensation  of  patron- 
age than  with  the  welfare  of  the  capital  or  the  nation,  it  was 
proposed  that  Madrid  should  be  made  an  exception, — retain- 
ing her  Intendente  and  Jefe  Politico  after  the  old  fashion. 
There  was  a  good  deal  of  inquiry  as  to  the  cause  of  this  anom- 
aly,— no  one  appearing  to  understand  why,  if  the  system  were 
vicious,  as  the  government  had  taken  pains  to  demonstrate, 
one  part  of  it  should  be  perpetuated  any  more  than  the  rest. 
Benavides  explained.  "  The  offices  in  question  are  to  be  pre- 
served," he  said,  "  as  part  of  the  historical  monuments  of  the 
capital.  Posterity  must  learn  that  we  have  had  Political 
Chiefs  in  Spain, — yea,  and  Intendants  also  !  They  are  twin 
unities  not  known  to  other  governments,  and  their  memory 
should  not  be  lost  among  men.  The  admiration  of  the  future, 
which  would  have  been  wasted  among  so  many,  will  be  con- 
centrated now  on  the  solitary  specimens  that  survive.  Men 
will  not  speak  hereafter  of  the  Jefe  Politico  of  Madrid, — the 
Madrid  Intendente, — but  the  Jefe  Politico, — the  Intendente! 
They  will  be  handed  over  to  the  grammatical  treasury  of 
nouns  that  have  no  plural  !  They  will  keep  company  with 
the  Holy  Father  and  the  Ship  Soberauo, — the  persons  and 
things  whereof  there  is  but  one  ! "  The  quiet  but  unequivo- 
cal allusion  in  the  last  expression  to  the  fact  that  the  adminis- 
tration had  allowed  the  navy  to  remain  with  but  one  old 
damaged  ship  of  the  line,  while  the  treasures  of  the  nation 
19 


146  SPAIN. 

were  lavished  in  the  maintenance  of  an  army  at  Rome,  struck 
a  chord  which  vibrated  through  the  House  and  the  whole  city. 
Sartorius  endeavored  to  counteract  its  effect,  by  giving  an 
acrimonious  and  personal  turn  to  the  debate ;  but  Benavides 
rejoined  in  a  few  graceful  and  good-humored  words,  which 
fixed  the  laugh  where  he  had  left  it. 

The  advantage,  in  point  of  parliamentary  ability,  being,  as 
has  been  said,  on  the  side  of  the  opposition,  Donoso  Cortes, 
Marquis  of  Valdegamas,  and  then  Minister  at  Berlin,  was 
allowed  leave  of  absence  from  his  diplomatic  post,  to  discharge 
his  duties  in  the  Cortes,  as  one  of  the  Deputies  from  the  dis- 
trict of  Badajoz.  Besides  being  a  poet  of  very  distinguished 
reputation,  this  gentleman  had  entered  of  late,  with  great  suc- 
cess, upon  the  career  of  politics,  and  had  become  one  of  the 
most  eminent  of  the  Moderado  orators  and  statesmen.  He 
was  regarded,  at  home  and  in  France,  as  a  person  of  very 
profound  philosophy  in  things  political,  and  of  great  sub- 
limity in  his  views  and  theories  generally.  The  post  of  honor, 
therefore,  was  given  to  him,  in  the  debate  on  the  p7'esupuestos, 
and  he  immediately  preceded  Narvaez,  by  whom,  as  has  been 
said,  the  discussion  was  concluded.  Great  expectations  were 
formed  of  his  effort,  and  crowds  went  to  hear  it.  The  news- 
papers glorified  it  exceedingly ;  the  Puerta  del  Sol  echoed  its 
praises;  and  when  I  saw  the  orator,  three  nights  afterwards, 
at  a  ball,  he  was  still  receiving  congratulations,  like  a  bride- 
groom in  the  first  quarter  of  the  honey  moon.  It  was  a  sin- 
gular discourse, — full  of  thought  and  power,  rhapsody  and 
rant, — illustrating  in  itself,  as  well  as  in  the  sensation  which 
it  produced,  the  reverence  for  French  ideas,  principles,  and 
forms,  in  which  the  Moderado  dynasty  has  almost  merged  the 
nationality  of  Spain. 


SPAIN.  147 

Originally,  with  his  political  fortunes  to  seek,  Donoso  Cortes 
was  a  liberal,  in  no  narrow  signification  of  the  term.  Created 
a  Marquis, — which  seems  to  be  a  dignity  specially  coveted  by 
the  Modei'ados, — he  naturally  enough  took  to  conservatism, 
and,  being  on  excellent  terms  with  those  in  power,  he  felt  still 
more  deeply — as  gentlemen  in  such  case  always  do — the  abso- 
lute necessity  of  maintaining  the  social  and  established  order. 
His  school  of  poetry,  indeed, — which  is  the  romantic, — in- 
clined him  to  invest  with  reverent  and  mystic  awe  the  sacred 
rulers  of  mankind ;  and  that  inclination  was  not  likely  to  be 
diminished  by  the  fact,  that  the  poet  imagined  he  could  see 
the  wand  of  state  hidden  among  his  own  laurels.  Having 
had  no  practical  experience  in  government,  and  but  little  op- 
portunity to  watch  the  operation  of  systems  genuinely  consti- 
tutional, he  had  to  seek  what  he  could  find  in  books.  The 
affinities  of  party  led  him  towards  the  oracles  at  Paris,  and 
his  own  mental  constitution  taught  him  to  prefer  their  elo- 
quent abstractions  to  the  practical  and  plainer  lessons  of  Brit- 
ish and  American  example.  Even  among  the  disciples  of  the 
doctrines  which  he  professed,  his  peculiar  tendency  was  to 
romanticize  and  Germanize.  It  was  his  taste  to  vaticinate 
like  Lamartine,  and  crusade  with  the  sacerdotalism  of  Mon- 
talembert,  rather  than  follow  the  severe  analysis  and  un- 
equalled generalization  of  De  Tocqueville  and  Guizot.  Like 
all  abstractionists,  and  particularly  the  poetical,  he  frequently 
fell  into  the  vice  of  mistaking  words  for  ideas,  and  of  setting 
up  as  philosophy  what  was  simply  phraseology.  His  speeches 
and  writings,  however,  were,  as  I  have  said,  considered  by  the 
mass  as  both  profound  and  sublime.  Philosophical  forms  and 
processes  are,  in  themselves,  of  great  edification  and  refresh- 


148  SPAIN. 

ment  to  many  readers  and  hearers,  and  when  they  are  accom- 
panied by  a  certain  warmth  and  earnestness  of  imagination 
and  expression  are  often  none  the  less  popular  from  having 
nothing  in  them.  The  speech  of  Valdegamas,  on  the  occasion 
referred  to,  was  so  characteristic  of  his  own  peculiarities,  and 
furnishes  so  curious  a  clew  to  the  political  doctrines  and  ten- 
dencies of  his  party,  that  it  deserves  a  paragraph  or  two  as  a 
pendant  to  the  Senatorial  effort  of  the  Minister  of  Finance. 

The  question  before  the  house  was  a  very  simple  one.  The 
Constitution  required  the  budget  to  be  submitted  to  the  Cortes, 
for  the  purpose,  obviously,  of  examination  and  discussion. 
The  government,  however,  proposed  that  its  whole  financial 
policy  and  projet,  thus  submitted,  should  be  indorsed  and 
adopted  at  once,  without  further  debate.  It  was  a  plain  ques- 
tion of  expediency, — not  of  constitutionality.  It  would  have 
been  folly  to  suppose  that  the  constitution  intended  to  compel 
inquiry,  when  the  representatives  of  the  people  desired  none ; 
or  to  enforce  discussion,  when  they  found  nothing  to  discuss. 
It  was  for  the  legislature,  under  a  due  sense  of  public  duty,  to 
determine  as  to  the  propriety  of  the  thing;  but,  that  determi- 
nation once  arrived  at,  there  could  be  no  rational  doubt  of  the 
legislative  right  to  act  on  it,  or  of  the  constitutional  legitimacy 
and  obligation  of  such  action.  It  was  to  this  view  of  the  case 
that  Olozaga  and  Escosura  directed  themselves,  and  it  was  in 
reducing  and  confining  the  controversy  to  this  issue,  after  a 
long  and  discursive  debate,  that  Narvaez  displayed  the  clear- 
ness and  directness  of  his  acute  and  vigorous  mind. 

The  Marquis  of  Valdegamas,  on  the  contrary,  appeared  to 
consider  the  whole  politics  of  Europe  as  involved  in  the 
question,  which  he  chose  to  treat  as  a  trial  of  strength  between 


SPAIN.  149 

monarchy  and  socialism.  After  the  fashion  of  the  French  con- 
servative orators,  he  assumed  socialism  and  democracy  to  be 
identical.  Economical  questions  he  then  anathematized  as 
among  the  most  wicked  and  pernicious  devices  which  the 
Tempter  had  taught  the  socialists ;  and  proceeded  with  great 
gravity  to  prove,  after  his  manner,  that  financial  economy, 
though  quite  an  interesting  matter,  was  still  only  of  third  or 
fourth  rate  importance, — that  it  was  too  inflammatory  a  subject 
to  be  handled  at  that  moment,  and  was  rather  difficult  to  dis- 
pose of  satisfactorily  at  any  time.  The  last  of  these  proposi- 
tions, at  all  events,  might  have  been  proved  without  any 
unusual  exertion ;  but  the  orator  had  no  idea  of  letting  it 
pass  into  the  ranks  of  things  established,  without  something 
more  than  the  ordinary  treatment  of  plain  truth. 

"  The  nation  is  not  firm,"  he  said.  "  Since  that  epoch  of 
tremendous  memory  (the  last  French  Revolution)  there  has 
been  nothing  firm  in  Europe.  Spain  is  the  firmest  of  the 
nations,  and  you  see  what  Spain  is.  This  Congress  is  the 
best,  and  yet  you  see  what  this  Congress  is.  Spaiu,  wavering 
as  you  behold  her,  is  at  this  moment  to  the  Continent  as  an 
oasis  in  Zahara.  I  have  talked  with  the  wise,  and  have  seen 
how  worthless  is  wisdom.  I  have  listened  to  the  valiant,  and 
have  learned  the  insignificance  of  valor  now.  I  have  appealed 
to  the  prudent,  and  have  found  how  weak,  in  the  emergency, 
is  prudence  !  It  seems  as  if  the  statesmen  of  Europe  had  lost 
their  gift  of  counsel.  Human  reason  is  in  eclipse, — human 
institutions  tremble  in  the  wind, — nations  are  precipitated  into 
sudden  and  mighty  downfldl.  ...  At  this  day,  over  the  whole 
continent,  all  paths — even  the  most  opposite — conduct  but  to 
perdition.      Here,    resistance   destroys;    there,   concession    is 


150  SPAIN. 

fatal.  Where  weakness  is  death,  there  are  weak  princes. 
"Where  ambition  is  ruin,  there  are  ambitious  princes.  Where 
perdition  shall  come  of  talent,  there  God  has  given  ability  to 
kings.  As  it  is  with  monarchs,  so  it  is  with  ideas.  The  most 
magnificent  and  the  vilest  have  the  same  results.  If  you 
doubt  it,  turn  your  eyes  towards  Paris  and  towards  Venice, 
and  behold  what  has  come  of  demagogisra,  and  what  has  come 
of  the  superb  idea  of  Italian  independence !  As  with  ideas 
and  with  monarchs,  so  is  it  with  other  men.  Where  one  man 
could  save  society,  that  man  exists  not ;  or,  if  he  does  exist, 
God  scatters  some  poison  for  him  in  the  air.  Where  one  man 
can  overturn  society,  that  man  appears, — that  man  is  borne 
aloft  upon  the  palms  of  men, — that  man  finds  every  road 
open  and  level  before  him.  Do  you  question  it  ?  Look  from 
the  tomb  of  Marshal  Bugeaud  to  the  throne  of  Mazzini ! 
As  it  is  with  ideas  and  kings  and  other  men,  so  it  is  with 
parties.  .  .  .  Where  the  salvation  of  society  depends  on  the 
dissolution  of  old  parties,  and  their  amalgamation  into  new 
ones,  there  parties  refuse  to  be  dissolved,  and  are  not  dissolved. 
This  is  what  happens  now  in  France.  .  .  .  Where  the  salva- 
tion of  society  appeals  to  parties, — that  they  cling  to  their  old 
banners, — that  they  tear  not  their  bosoms, — that  they  keep 
themselves  together,  and  fight  together,  in  great  and  noble 
battles, — where  all  this  is  needful,  as  in  Spain,  that  society 
may  live, — there — here — do  parties  leap  to  dissolution  !  .  .  . 
Gentlemen  !  the  true  cause  of  the  deep  and  awful  evil  with 
which  Europe  is  overwhelmed  is  this  alone, — that  the  idea  of 
divine  authority  and  of  human  authority  has  altogether  dis- 
appeared. This  is  what  scourges  Europe, — what  scourges 
society, — what  afflicts  the,  world, — and  it  is  from  this  that 


SPAIN.  151 

nations  have  become  ungovernable.  It  is  this  that  explains 
what  I  have  never  heard  explained,  and  what,  nevertheless,  is 
of  easy  explanation.  .  .  . 

"All  who  have  travelled  through  France  agree  in  saying 
that  you  cannot  meet  a  Frenchman  who  is  a  republican.  I 
can  bear  witness  to  the  truth  of  this,  for  I  have  just  passed 
through  France.  Why  then,  and  how  then,  is  it,  if  there  be 
no  republicans,  that  the  republic  exists?  The  republic  exists 
in  France — nay,  it  will  continue  to  exist — because  the  repub- 
lican is  the  necessary  form  of  government  among  a  people  who 
are  ungovernable.  Where  the  people  are  not  to  be  ruled, 
government  necessarily  takes  the  republican  shape.  And  this 
is  why  the  republic  subsists  and  will  subsist  in  France.  Little 
matters  it  whether  the  republic  be,  as  it  is,  resisted  by  the  will 
of  men,  if  it  be  upheld,  as  it  is,  by  the  very  necessity  of 
things!" 

Having  spoken  of  human  and  divine  authority  as  equally 
forgotten  in  the  world,  the  orator  proceeded  to  anticipate  and 
meet  the  question  as  to  the  connection  that  exists  between 
politics  and  religion.  He  attributed  to  "civilization"  two 
phases, — the  one  affirmative  and  catholic,  the  other  negative 
and  revolutionary.  The  former  established  three  affirmations, 
religious  and  political.  The  first  of  these  was  the  existence 
of  a  God  and  of  a  king ;  the  second,  the  dominion  of  God 
over  all  things,  and  of  the  king  over  his  realm ;  the  third,  the 
exercise  of  that  dominion,  by  actual  government,  in  both  cases. 
Civilization  in  its  revolutionary  phase,  presented  three  nega- 
tions :  first,  that  of  the  deist,  who  denied  the  providence  of 
God,  and  that  of  the  constitutional  monarchist,  who  denied  to 
the  king  the  exercise  of  his  dominion ;   second,  that  of  the 


152  SPAIN. 

pantheist,  whose  political  correlative  was  the  republican ;  and 
and  third  that  of  the  atheist,  whose  yoke-fellow  was  of  course 
the  socialist.  The  good  and  perfect  Christian,  it  is  needless 
to  say,  was  matched  with  the  legitimist  and  the  absolutist. 
"  Europe,"  cried  the  philosopher,  "  has  entered  upon  the 
second  negation,  and  is  striding  towards  the  third,  which  is 
the  last, — the  abyss, — beyond  which  is  darkness  only." 

It  would  be  tedious,  though  very  curious,  to  follow  the 
speaker  through  the  extraordinary  processes  by  which  he 
showed,  that,  from  this  impending  catastrophe.  Catholicity 
and  standing  armies  were  the  only  asylums  of  refuge.  Russia, 
he  asserted,  was  at  present  powerless,  because  she  had  only 
wrought  on  Europe  heretofore  through  the  Germanic  Con- 
federation, which  had  now  ceased  to  exist,  or  rather  passed 
into  chaos.  It  might  be,  he  said,  that  after  revolutions  had 
dissolved  society  and  dispersed  its  standing  armies,  and  after 
Socialism  had  destroyed  patriotism  by  destroying  property, 
Russia  might  sweep,  with  her  Sclavonic  millions,  in  wild  tri- 
umph over  Europe.  Only  England  could  avert  this,  in  any 
case ;  but  England,  alas  !  lacked  Catholicity,  without  which 
there  could  be  no  victory  in  such  a  contest !  "  I  say.  Sir," 
he  exclaimed,  "  that  Catholicity  is  the  only  remedy  against 
Socialism,  because  Catholicity  involves  the  only  doctrine  which 
is  the  absolute  contradiction  of  Socialism.  What  is  Catho- 
licity ?  It  is  wisdom  and  humility.  What  is  Socialism  ?  It 
is  pride  and  barbarism.  Like  the  Babylonian  king,  it  is  at 
once  king  and  beast." 

Then  followed  a  demonstration  of  the  costliness  of  repub- 
lics, and  the  cheapness  of  despotisms.  Standing  armies,  it 
was  asserted,  were  in  fact  the  only  cheap  machinery  of  gov- 


SPAIN.  153 

ernment.  This  led  to  a  parallel,  touching  and  eloquent  in 
some  of  its  passages,  between  the  soldier  and  the  priest,  but 
in  which  I  am  afiaid  the  preference  was  rather  given  to  the 
soldier, — as  under  the  Moderado  administration  was  practi- 
cally the  case  in  Spain,  both  as  regards  consideration  and  pay. 
The  discourse  wound  up  with  an  appeal  to  the  Deputies,  to 
despise  economy  at  such  a  crisis  and  not  peril  a  great  cause  by 
wasting  the  energies  and  distracting  the  unity  of  conserva- 
tism in  fruitless  and  discordant  debate.  Legislative  bodies,  he 
warned  them,  might  compass  their  own  ruin  by  their  imprac- 
ticability. If  they  would  neither  govern  nor  let  govern,  but 
only  discuss,  they  could  not  stand. 

"  What  has  become  of  the  Frankfort  Assembly?"  he  asked 
them  ;  "  of  that  Assembly  in  whose  ranks  were  sages,  nobles, 
and  philosophers,  the  wisest,  the  most  honored,  the  most  pro- 
found ?  Where  is  it  ?  Whither  has  it  gone  ?  Never  did  the 
world  behold  a  senate  more  august, — an  end  more  lamentable  ! 
One  universal  shout  of  acclamation  welcomed  its  birth, — it 
died  amid  a  hissing  as  universal !  Germany  lodged  it  like  a 
goddess  in  a  temple, — the  same  Germany  looked  on  while  it 
perished  like  a  harlot  in  a  ditch  ! " 

The  reader  who  only  sees  this  speech,  in  its  mere  nakedness, 
and  in  the  imperfect  shape  which  I  have  given  it, — with  its 
melancholy  pessimism,  its  hopeless  distrust  of  human  intelli- 
gence and  virtue  and  the  providence  of  God, — the  solemn 
sophistry  with  which  it  would  persuade  men  to  surrender  the 
hard-won  liberty  of  thought  and  action,  whereof  the  legisla- 
ture in  which  it  was  delivered  was  the  offspring,  and  the 
political  existence  of  the  speaker  himself  a  triumph, — the 
reader,  I  say,  who  sees  but  this,  will  wonder  that  a  constitu- 
20 


154  SPAIN. 

tional  congress  should  have  received  the  discourse  with  any 
demonstration  but  a  hiss  like  that  which  said  farewell  to  the 
Frankfort  Assembly.  Bursts  of  disapprobation  did,  in  fact, 
occasionally  sweep  across  the  Chamber, — indignant  denials  of 
the  principles  promulged,  and  the  deductions  drawn  from 
them.  But  still  the  speech  was  eminently  successful.  Its 
forms  were  stately,  imaginative,  and  oratorical, — its  expres- 
sions glowing  with  intense  conviction.  The  orator  had  en- 
thusiasm, grace,  boldness,  fire, — all  the  volatile  elements  which 
evaporate  after  the  moment  of  inspiration,  yet  make  that  mo- 
ment glorious.  When  men  came  to  read  what  had  excited 
them  so  much,  there  were  many  who  thought,  with  an  old 
Carlist  general  of  my  acquaintance,  that  Donoso  Cortes  was 
"  a  pedante,  with  his  head  in  the  clouds."  But  the  mass  did 
not  stop  to  read,  and  the  majority  of  those  who  did,  though 
they  admitted  it  to  be  "  un  poco  metafisico,"  insisted,  with 
great  positiveness,  that  it  was  ''muy  sublime"  nevertheless. 


XV. 


The  Senate.— Alcala  Galiano.— The  Coktes  of  1823.— The  Athe- 
N^UM.— Galiano's  Lectures  theke. 

THE  Palace  of  the  Senate  is  on  the  Plaza  de  los  Minis- 
terios,  not  far  from  the  late  chamber  of  the  Deputies, 
but  inconveniently  distant,  I  should  think,  from  their  present 
place  of  session.  It  occupies  the  site  of  a  church,  formerly 
belonging  to  an  adjoining  convent  of  Austin  friars,  and  is 
without  any  architectural  merit  or  pretension.  In  front  of  it, 
across  the  Plaza,  is  the  palace  of  the  Queen  Mother,— a  most 
unsightly  edifice,  not  long  erected, — which  might  be  taken  for 
an  immense  conservatory,  were  it  not  that  the  pile  of  window- 
glass,  which  constitutes  the  resemblance,  is  of  various  and 
glaring  colors. 

The  Senate  Chamber  is  precisely  "the  pleasing  land  of 
drowsy-head,"  in  which  legislators  with  the  life-tenure  usu- 
ally dream  through  their  unagitating  duties.  There  is  little 
that  you  see  or  hear,  as  you  sit  in  the  small  galleries,  to  dis- 
turb the  calm,  respectable  stagnation,  whose  spirit  broods 
over  the  illustrious  assemblage.  Even  the  echoes  are  solemn 
with  a  monotony  of  their  own,  and  the  graceful  oval  of  the 
hall— avoiding  all  obtrusiveness  of  angles — seems  as  if  intended 
to  furnish  that  repose  to  the  eye,  which  an  assured  position 

155 


156  SPAIN. 

and  comfortable  dignity  so  naturally  spread  over  the  mind. 
The  churchmen,  who  nod  while  the  Marquis  of is  speak- 
ing, are  in  the  purple  of  extreme  preferment.  Why  should 
they, — or  the  invalid  generals,  the  broken-down  or  retired 
ministers,  the  gratified  favorites,  the  pensioned  placemen,  the 
effete  nobility,  who  are  around  them, — why  should  they,  whose 
ambition  has  been  successful,  or  exhausted  or  check-mated, 
trouble  themselves  with  making  or  listening  to  speeches? 
What's  Hecuba  to  them  ?  Their  business  is  to  vote  with 
the  government,  and  to  be  dignified, — an  easy  duty  and  a 
pleasant  privilege  !  It  would  be  unreasonable  to  expect  that 
they  should  mar  the  enjoyment  of  the  one,  by  travelling 
beyond  the  requirements  of  the  other.  A  stray  Progre- 
sista — or  an  impracticable  young  lloderado,  who  has  not 
arrived  at  years  of  political  discretion,  or  lost  the  habits  of 
the  lower  house,  or  the  hope  of  yet  ruling  in  Israel — may  be 
permitted  to  vex  the  repose  and  crucify  the  spirits  of  the 
elders  by  his  discourses  and  his  questionings.  But  empty 
benches,  dull  ears,  and  extinguishing  majorities  will  subdue 
at  last  even  the  most  burning  fever  of  eloquence  and  patriot- 
ism. Rare,  therefore,  in  the  main,  is  the  tempest  of  discus- 
sion which  ever  ruffles  the  soft  plumes  of  the  halberdiers, 
whose  dainty  raiment  gives  an  air  of  feudal  pageantry  to 
what  in  fact  is  hardly,  in  its  spirit  or  its  operation,  an 
institution  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Strange,  that  the 
Cortes  of  1820-23  held  their  sessions  in  this  same  hall, 
and  that  many,  whose  hearts  were  warmest  and  whose  voices 
were  loudest  in  the  eloquent  conflicts  of  those  stormy  days, 
should  be  seated — conservatives  among  the  most  conserva- 
tive— high  on  the  benches  which  echo  most   faithfully  the 


SPAIN.  157 

mandates  of  the  present  power !  Is  it  the  weakness  or  the 
wisdom  of  age  which  so  frequently  changes  the  radical  of 
twenty-five  into  the  high-tory  of  sixty?  Weakness  incon- 
ceivable or  wisdom  inscrutable  it  must  surely  have  been, 
which  brought  Martinez  de  la  Rosa  and  Alcala  Galiano  to 
sit  under  the  Presidency  and  follow  the  vote  of  the  Marquis 
of  Miraflores, — the  defender  of  Ferdinand  the  Seventh  and 
the  eulogist  of  his  despotism. 

I  have  said  that  Galiano  did  not  address  the  Senate,  that  I 
am  aware,  during  my  residence  in  Madrid.  Although  allied 
in  party  doctrines  and  association  with  the  existing  govern- 
ment, he  seemed  at  that  time  rather  lukewarm  in  his  devotion, 
or  at  all  events  indisposed  to  make  any  display  of  it.  A 
brother-senator  of  his,  not  ill  inclined  to  gossip,  told  me  that 
Galiano  had  applied  to  ministers,  not  long  before,  for  some 
preferment,  which  they  had  refused.  "  Y  es  natural  se  ofen- 
da!"  my  informant  added  ; — "  It  is  natural  he  should  not  be 
pleased  ! "  No  better  evidence  could  be  afforded  of  the  strength 
of  the  Moderados  at  that  day,  or  at  least  of  their  confident 
belief  that  they  were  strong,  than  their  indifference  to  the 
support  of  so  distinguished  and  able  a  man, — one  so  remark- 
able, especially,  for  those  peculiar  powers  which  are  most 
formidable  in  opposition.  In  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  it  is 
likely  that  the  veteran  tribune  might  have  commanded  almost 
anything,  in  reason,  that  he  had  desired.  It  was  his  misfortune, 
however,  to  be  arrinconado — cornered,  as  they  expressively 
call  it — in  the  upper  house,  the  deadening  vis  inei'ticB  of  which 
was  quite  enough  to  paralyze  all  the  satire,  sarcasm,  and  de- 
nunciation he  had  wielded  in  his  palmiest  days.  It  was  not, 
therefore,  worth  their  while  to  propitiate  him,  when  his  parlia- 


158  SPAIN. 

mentary  suflPocation  was  so  easy  and  economical.  Alas !  too, 
he  bad  fallen  away  from  the  faith  of  his  youth,  and  the  wily 
politicians  whom  he  dealt  with,  knew  that  he  could  no  longer 
summon  followers  for  his  own  revenge,  with  the  trumpet  he 
had  ceased  to  sound  when  popular  institutions  were  in  danger. 
It  was  but  the  familiar  case — so  often  paralleled  in  English 
history — of  the  irresistible  leader  of  the  people  ennobled  into 
the  insignificant  peer. 

Galiano  entered  the  Cortes,  during  the  second  constitutional 
period,  as  a  deputy  from  Cadiz,  his  native  city.  In  the  legis- 
lature of  that  day  were  many  able  men,  of  large  experience  in 
public  affairs,  some  of  whom  had  successfully  improved  their 
opportunities  for  parliamentary  distinction  in  the  Cortes  of 
1812-14.  Though  comparatively  young  and  inexpert  in 
politics  and  public  speaking,  Galiano  was  not  long  in  rivalling 
the  most  conspicuous  of  his  associates,  and  soon  established 
for  himself  a  national  reputation,  by  the  boldness  of  his  doc- 
trines and  the  brilliancy  of  his  eloquence.  In  1823,  when  the 
Cortes  were  in  session  at  Seville,  and  the  approach  of  the  Due 
d'Angouleme  rendered  their  removal  necessary,  the  king — 
who,  although  he  had  committed  himself  to  the  constitution 
by  every  variety  of  gratuitous  and  supererogatory  perjury, 
was  still  in  active  correspondence  with  its  enemies  and  the 
chief  of  the  invaders — refused  positively  to  move  a  single  stej). 
This  was  an  unexpected  and  startling  blow,  for  Spanish  loyalty 
absurdly  forbade  the  violation  of  the  royal  will  or  person,  and 
yet  the  presence  of  the  executive  was  indispensable  both  to  the 
constitutional  action  of  the  legislature  and  the  maintenance  of 
its  prestige.  The  Cortes  were  in  great  consternation,  for  the 
peril  was  imminent,  and  the  briefest  delay  might  be  fatal.    To 


SPAIN.  159 

the  boldest  and  wisest  there  seemed  no  alternative  but  an  im- 
mediate dissolution,  wiiich  involved  the  utter  overthrow  of 
liberal  institutions.  At  this  critical  moment,  Galiano  startled 
the  chamber  by  the  introduction  of  a  resolution,  which  as- 
sumed that,  under  the  provisions  of  the  constitution,  the  action 
of  the  king  had  vacated  the  throne.  The  proposition  was  a 
plank  in  their  shipwreck,  and  was  enthusiastically  welcomed. 
Ferdinand,  declared  to  be  no  longer  king,  was  forced  to  con- 
form to  the  will  of  the  representatives  of  the  nation.  He  was 
directed  to  prepare  at  once  for  the  journey,  and  as  he  was  a 
coward,  he  obeyed.  In  a  very  few  hours  he  was  under  escort 
to  Cadiz,  whither  the  whole  government,  executive  and  legis- 
lative, hastened.  So  narrow  was  the  escape  of  the  Cortes,  and 
so  fickle  the  temper  of  the  multitude,  that  the  next  day,  the 
most  important  of  the  public  archives  were  sacked  and  their 
contents  thrown  into  the  Guadalquivir,  while  the  people  ran 
loyally  and  madly  through  the  streets,  crying,  "  Viva  el  rey 
disoluto  !  " — "  Long  live  the  dissolute  [absolute]  king  ! " 

Although  the  measure  proposed  by  Galiano  had  no  other 
eifect  than  to  save  the  legislature  for  the  moment,  and  to 
prolong  for  yet  a  little  while  the  ineffectual  struggle  of  the 
liberal  party  with  domestic  treachery  and  foreign  arms,  it,  as 
a  matter  of  course,  rendered  liim  one  of  the  most  prominent 
marks  of  royal  persecution.  Upon  the  surrender  of  Cadiz, 
he  fled  to  England,  where,  under  sentence  of  death  at  home, 
he  displayed  for  many  years  the  fortitude  and  resignation,  in 
poverty  and  exile,  which  are  the  best  tests  of  a  large  mind 
and  a  great  heart.  He  devoted  himself  for  iiis  support  to 
the  teaching  of  his  native  language,  and  lightened  the  heavy 
moments  of  his  leisure  by  the  cultivation  of  his  intellectual 


160  SPAIN. 

tastes.  He  made  himself  not  only  familiar,  but  learnedly 
and  critically  so,  with  the  literature  of  England ;  and  his 
attainments  in  French  and  Italian  scholarship  are  said  to  be 
equally  profound  and  graceful.  At  the  death  of  Ferdinand, 
he  returned  to  his  country,  where  his  eminent  services  and 
sacrifices  commended  him  at  once  to  public  confidence.  Ten 
years  of  privation  and  reflection,  however,  with  some  practical 
experience  of  popular  instability  and  the  horrors  of  civil  strife, 
had  altogether  changed  his  political  philosophy.  He  attached 
himself,  with  many  of  the  ablest  of  his  liberal  contemporaries, 
to  the  conservative  cause,  which  he  has  since  upheld  with  pro- 
gressive enthusiasm,  as  minister,  senator,  and  public  teacher. 
Indeed,  his  views  are  yet  more  ultra  in  their  new  direction 
than  formerly  in  their  radical  tendency ;  so  that  a  humorous 
writer  says,  "  He  spent  the  earlier  portion  of  his  life  in 
proving  that  the  throne  was  a  useless  form,  and  would  now, 
if  possible,  persuade  the  people  that  they  ought  to  have  two 
at  the  least."  A  change  of  opinion  is,  to  vulgar  minds,  so 
sure  an  evidence  of  dishonesty,  that  nothing  but  Galiano's 
consistent  poverty  could  have  saved  his  reputation  from  the 
obloquy  which  always  follows  apostasy,  actual  or  imputed. 
After  having  sacrificed  an  independent  fortune  in  the  main- 
tenance of  his  principles,  he  has  been  a  minister  and  has  not 
repaid  himself.  Even  political  slander  is  forced  to  respect 
the  motives  which  have  been  proof  against  temptation,  neces- 
sity, and  opportunity.  Had  he  been  less  an  orator  and  more 
a  statesman  or  even  a  demagogue, — less  a  man  of  books  and 
more  a  man  of  the  world, — Galiano  would  probably  be  now, 
with  his  ability  and  knowledge,  one  of  the  leading  spirits  in 
the  politics  of  Europe.     As  it  is,  he  is  a  man  of  genius,  and 


SPAIN.  161 

lives  in  liurable  lodgings, — all  Madrid  flocks  to  hear  him  at 
the  Athenaeum,  yet  no  one  wonders  when  a  cabinet,  whose 
members  might  go  to  school  to  him,  refuses  him  a  petty 
pension  to  mend  his  broken  fortunes  ! 

The  Athenreum  is  an  excellent  institution,  established  in  a 
convenient  building  on  the  Calle  de  la  Montera.  It  has  a 
capital  reading-room,  where  you  can  always  find  the  British 
periodicals  and  reviews,  with  the  leading  journals  from  the 
Continent.  Its  library,  which  is  quite  large,  is  Avell  selected, 
and  the  collection  of  coins  and  cabinet  of  minerals,  though 
small,  are  beginning  to  be  esteemed.  It  has  several  profes- 
sorships for  the  delivery  of  gratuitous  lectures  on  scientific 
and  literary  subjects,  and  some  of  the  chairs  are  filled  by 
persons  of  conspicuous  attainments  and  ability.  When  I  was 
admitted  to  the  privileges  which  are  so  liberally  accorded  by 
its  rules  to  strangers,  Galiano  was  in  the  midst  of  a  course  on 
modern  history,  and  had  reached  the  stirring  times  of  the  first 
French  Revolution.  The  subject,  always  full  of  interest  in 
itself,  was  of  course  doubly  attractive  in  such  hands ;  and  so 
general  was  the  desire  to  hear,  that,  but  for  the  personal 
kindness  of  the  speaker,  I  should  have  been  unable  to  find  a 
place  in  the  overflowing  hall.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  recall 
the  various  occasions  on  which  I  thus  availed  myself  of  his 
good  offices  to  sit  under  his  instruction,  without  feeling  that 
each  gave  me  new  and  enlarged  ideas  of  the  power  and 
charm  of  speech. 

It  was  said  of  one  Romero  Alpuente,  a  prominent  Deputy 

of  the  older   constitutional   days,  and  so  justly  said  as  to 

become   proverbial,   that   he   was   "feameiite  feo" — "  uglily 

ugly  ! "      It  would  be  scarcely  fair  to  print  the  phrase  in 

21 


162  SPAIN. 

connection  with  the  name  of  Galiano,  were  it  not  constantly 
and  familiarly  applied  by  his  contemporaries  to  the  dis- 
advantages of  feature  and  expression  which  he  is  able  so 
signally  to  overcome.  His  stature  is  short,  besides,  and  his 
gesture  imgraceful.  When  I  heard  him,  he  had  to  struggle 
with  the  additional  difficulty  of  speaking,  literally  ex  cathedra, 
seated  after  the  most  orthodox  professorial  fashion,  and  with 
a  table  before  him.  Nor  was  there  any  thing  in  the  theme 
which  enabled  the  speaker  to  establish  that  personal  sym- 
pathy between  himself  and  his  audience  which  is  the  main- 
spring of  oratorical  power.  It  was  a  theme  for  disquisition, 
for  analysis,  for  generalization,  for  high  thought,  but  not  for 
passion.  Only  a  plain,  old  man  sat  before  us,  to  work  what 
wonders  he  could,  simply  with  his  mind  and  tongue.  Yet, 
if  eloquence  consists  in  the  ability  to  sway  men's  under- 
standings and  lead  captive  their  wills  by  speech, — to  make 
them  lose  themselves  and  their  own  thoughts  in  the  orator 
and  his, — I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying,  that,  in  spite  of  all 
the  disadvantages  under  which  he  spoke,  Galiano  produced  on 
me  more  the  effect  of  eloquence  than  any  one  I  have  ever 
heard.  I  cannot  imagine  any  thing  to  surpass  the  magnifi- 
cence of  his  occasional  improvisations.  The  gorgeous  lan- 
guage in  which  they  were  uttered  may  perhaps  have  led  me 
away  by  its  music ;  but  this  seemed  to  be  their  least  attraction, 
so  striking  were  the  thoughts  which  they  embodied,  so  copi- 
ous the  illustrations,  so  full  the  whole  of  fire  and  light  and 
genius !  There  seemed  something  almost  miraculous  in  the 
unfailing  fluency,  which,  without  the  hesitation  of  a  moment 
or  the  disarrangement  of  a  word,  went  steadily  through  the 
most  intricate  phrases,  the  profoundest  reflections,  the  freest 


SPAIN.  163 

range  of  imagination,  never  leaving  the  sense  for  an  instant 
clouded,  or  the  beauty  of  the  diction  sullied  with  one  stain  ! 
The  enthusiasm  of  the  crowd  must  have  been  indeed  irre- 
pressible, to  have  overcome,  so  frequently  and  enthusiasti- 
cally as  it  did,  the  habitual  decorum  and  self-restraint  of  a 
Spanish  audience. 


XVI. 

The  Ex-Kegent  Esparteeo  and  his  Rival,  Nauvaez. — The  Caeeist 
War  and  its  Conceijsion. — Downfall  op  Espaktero,  and  its 
Causes. — Love  of  Titles  and  Honors. — Orders  of  Knighthood. 

THE  decree  which  recalled  the  Ex-Regent  Espartero  from 
banishment,  in  1847,  created  him  at  the  same  time  Sena- 
tor of  the  realm.  Since  his  return,  however,  he  has  had  the 
wisdom  to  take  but  little  part  in  the  political  movements  of 
the  day,  and  although  he  is  still  recognised  as  the  head  of  the 
Progresista  party,  his  name  is  rarely  mentioned  in  connection 
with  actual  public  affairs.  During  my  whole  stay  in  Madrid  he 
was  absent  from  his  seat  in  the  Senate,  and  was  devoting  him- 
self, as  I  understood,  to  the  cultivation  of  his  estate  near 
Logrono,  and  the  improvement  of  agriculture  in  his  neighbor- 
hood. It  is  not  singular  that  a  man,  whose  experience  of 
popular  fickleness  and  ingratitude  has  been  so  melancholy, 
should  prefer  the  quiet  occupations  and  pleasures  of  rural  life 
to  a  renewal  of  those  struggles  which  have  already  cost  him 
so  much ;  but  it  is  nevertheless  greatly  to  be  lamented  that 
the  nation  should  be  deprived  of  services  so  important  as  those 
which  he  has  shown  himself  able  to  render.  I  believe  that 
his  retirement  is  a  source  of  regret  to  the  moderate  and  well- 
thinking  men  of  all  parties,  for  I  am  sure  that  I  heard  him 
164 


SPAIN.  165 

spoken  of  more  frequently  with  personal  consideration  and 
affection  than  any  other  public  man  in  Spain. 

In  a  former  chapter,  and  in  connection  with  the  progress  of 
constitutional  government  since  the  death  of  Ferdinand,  I  had 
occasion  to  speak  of  the  downfall  of  Espartero  as  paving  the 
way  to  the  rapid  and  brilliant  career  of  Narvaez.  The  char- 
acters of  the  two  men  are  in  strong  contrast  in  almost  all 
particulars  except  personal  bravery,  and  the  triumph  of  Nar- 
vaez  over  such  an  opponent  is,  of  itself,  as  good  a  key  to  the 
spirit  of  Spanish  politics  as  any  that  could  be  furnished. 
Down  to  the  time  of  their  conflict,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
Espartero  stood  far  before  his  rival  in  his  claims  upon  the 
gratitude  of  the  country.  Under  circumstances  of  the  most 
discouraging  character,  he  had  succeeded — partly  by  his  con- 
duct in  the  field,  and  partly  by  adroit  negotiation — in  putting 
an  end  to  the  cruel  and  desolating  civil  war  which  the  adher- 
ents of  Don  Carlos  had  kept  up  so  long.  His  political  oppo- 
nents, it  is  true,  have  sneered  at  the  Treaty  of  Yergara, — by 
which  the  claims  of  the  Pretender  w'ere  extinguished  in  1839, 
— as  a  bargain,  corruptly  purchased  from  the  Carlist  General, 
Maroto,  and  involving  no  high  exercise  of  civil  or  military 
talent.  Success  is  of  course  an  uncertain  criterion  of  merit, 
but  the  tale  which  events  tell  is  very  apt,  nevertheless,  to 
have  some  truth  in  it.  For  several  years,  the  cause  of  the 
Spanish  Pretender  had  held  its  own,  against  the  best  efforts  of 
the  government.  The  national  treasury  had  been  exhausted 
in  vain,  the  best  armies  had  been  baffled,  and  the  most  dis- 
tinguished generals,  one  after  another,  had  returned  from  the 
inglorious  field,  unsuccessful  at  all  events,  if  not  disgraced. 
The  trumpets  of  the  rebels  had  been  sounded  at  the  very 


166  SPAIN. 

gates  of  Madrid,  and  their  guerrillas  had  scoured  the  plains 
of  Andahisia,  La  Maucha,  and  Castile.  Until  the  interven- 
tion of  Espartero  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  national 
forces,  there  was  as  little  prospect  of  a  termination  to  the 
struggle,  as  when  the  banners  of  Don  Carlos  were  first 
planted  on  the  stubborn  hills  of  Biscay.  That  the  new  leader, 
without  any  advantages  which  his  predecessors  had  not  enjoyed, 
should  have  been  able  to  consummate  what  they  had  so  signally 
failed  in,  is,  of  itself,  some  evidence  that  he  had  personal  quali- 
ties superior  to  theirs.  But  that  conclusion  becomes  irresistible, 
when  it  is  considered  that  he  did  not  assume  the  control  of  the 
government  cause  until  after  the  spirit  of  its  supporters  had 
been  broken  by  years  of  failure, — after  the  resources  of  the 
nation  had  been  crippled  by  the  long  and  costly  maintenance  of 
a  large  war  establishment, — and  after  impunity,  if  not  success, 
had  given  consistency  and  confidence  to  rebellion.  That,  after 
pressing  the  enemy  so  closely  as  to  incline  them  from  necessity 
to  compromise,  he  should  have  chosen  to  finish  the  war  by 
treaty  rather  than  by  bloodshed,  would  have  been  as  honorable 
to  his  wisdom  as  to  his  humanity,  had  the  contest  been  between 
strangers.  But  in  a  civil  war, — a  war  which  divided  families, 
separated  provinces,  arrayed  friend  against  friend  and  brother 
against  brother,  in  which  neither  party  could  be  victorious 
without  carrying  desolation  to  the  hearths  of  its  own  members, 
as  sadly  as  to  the  homes  of  the  vanquished, — only  a  savage 
would  deny  that  the  course  which  Espartero  chose  entitled  him, 
in  a  tenfold  degree,  to  the  love  and  gratitude  of  his  country. 
Still  deeper  and  still  stronger  ought  that  love  and  gratitude  to 
be,  in  contemplation  of  the  fact,  that  the  restoration  of  peace, 
by  the  Convenio  de  Vergara,  removed  the  main  impediment 


i;PAiN.  167 

which,  till  that  time,  had  arrested  the  progress  of  Spain  in 
freedom,  civilization,  and  development. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  weakness  of  the  Ex-Regent's 
civil  administration,  practically  considered,  I  have  found  very 
few  who  have  denied  to  him  integrity  of  purpose.     Indeed, 
so  far  as  the  causes  of  his  downfall  were  intrinsic  in   his 
character  and  conduct,  they  appear  to  have  depended  mainly 
upon  principles  and  feelings  which  do  him  infinite  honor.     It 
is  said — and    probably  with  truth,   for   his   friends   do  not 
genemlly  deny  it — that  physical  infirmity  and  the  luxurious 
habits   contracted   during   his   residence   in   South  America, 
rendered    Espartero  personally  inactive  and  indolent,   when 
not  under  the  influence  of  any  duty  which  stimulated  his 
energies.     But  this — though  an  unhappy  defect  in  any  states- 
man, and   especially  in  a  Spanish   ruler — was  not   by   any 
means  the  chief  secret  of  his  overthrow.     He  was  unfortunate 
enough  to  have  a  conscience.     He  was  at  heart,  and  in  all  his 
heart's  sincerity,  a  lover  of  constitutional  freedom.     He  had 
fought  to  maintain  the  constitutional  dynasty,  and  had  sworn 
to  support  the  constitution.     Under  no  circumstances,  there- 
fore, could  he  be  brought  to  violate  what  he  felt  that  he  owed 
to  the  liberal  institutions  which  had  made  him — the  son  of  a 
Manchegan  peasant — Duke  of  Victory  and  Regent  of  Spain. 
He  felt  the  obligation  of  his  trust,  and   he  kept  it  sacred. 
Being  a  ruler  with  but  limited  prerogatives,  he  would  not  go 
beyond  them,  to  advance  the  interests  of  his  party  or  consoli- 
date or   preserve  his  own   power.      Throughout   his  whole 
administration,    history    will    recognize    a    faithful    effort    to 
obey  and  execute  the  laws,  in   the  true  spirit  of  a  liberal, 
an  enlightened,  and  a  conscientious  patriotism. 


168  SPAIN. 

That,  even  with  such  determinations  and  so  much  manly 
resolution  to  fulfil  them,  Espartero  should  have  added  another 
to  the  number  of  good  men  exiled  by  national  ingratitude, 
will  not  surprise  any  one  who  has  studied  Spanish  history  and 
politics.  Republican  France  was  governed  by  the  adminis- 
trative system  and  ideas  of  the  kingdom  and  the  empire, — 
and  constitutional  Spain  has  not  yet  learned  to  discard  the 
machinery  and  aj^pliances  of  the  despotism  she  has  over- 
turned. The  court  and  the  capital  are  still  the  fountains  of 
power.  It  is  there  that  ministers  are  made  and  unmade ; 
there  that  the  springs  are  touched  which  move  the  army  and 
the  people.  The  habits  of  centuries  have  not  given  way,  and 
cannot  soon  give  way,  before  the  institutions  of  but  a  few 
years.  To  suppress  the  intrigues  which  assail  government, 
secretly  and  openly,  the  goverment  must  use  despotic  measures, 
or  be  itself  suppressed.  Nothing  less  decided  is  understood  or 
felt,  as  yet.  Public  opinion  connot  be  concentrated  with  suffi- 
cient rapidity,  and  constitutional  means  cannot  be  directed  with 
sufficient  energy  and  promptness,  to  countervail  sedition.  The 
evil  is  a  practical  one,  dependent  on  circumstances  not  insti- 
tutions, and  has  to  be  met  practically.  This,  Espartero  would 
not  do.  He  had  no  talent  for  intrigue,  and  he  would  not  usurp. 
That  he  fell  was  not  therefore  his  fault,  in  a  strict  sense,  although 
perhaps  greatly  so  in  the  sense  of  that  patriotism  which  im- 
pels an  honest  man,  strong  in  his  good  motives,  to  violate  the 
law  in  an  emergency,  in  order  that  he  may  preserve  the  state. 

But  the  Regent  had  other  causes  of  defeat  to  struggle  with. 
He  was  favorable  to  a  reasonable  modification  of  the  tariff  on 
imports,  and  this  of  course  secured  him  the  deadly  hostility  of 
Catalonia,  —  that  fruitful  nursery  of  dangerous  and  obstinate 


SPAIN.  169 

revolt.  The  apprehension  of  a  treaty  of  commerce,  wliicli  he 
was  supposed  to  contemplate,  with  England,  gave  him  the  op- 
position of  those  of  the  commercial  class,  whose  affinities  were 
with  France,  and  whose  political  economy  was  made  up  of 
French  ideas.  He  was  supposed  to  be,  to  a  certain  extent, 
under  British  influence,  which  animated  the  hostility  of  the 
whole  afrancesado  portion  of  the  population.  His  humble 
birth  and  high  position  made  him  envied  and  hated,  and  his 
successful  career  against  the  Carlists  iiad  enlisted  the  whole 
legitimist  feeling,  almost  undividedly,  in  opposition  to  him. 
Private  jealousies,  and  the  desire  to  supplant  him  in  influence 
when  his  Regency  should  expire  at  the  Queen's  majority,  made 
many  of  the  leaders  in  his  own  party  his  opponents  likewise. 
Against  all  these  powerful  elements  in  combination,  what  mar- 
vel that  honesty  and  integrity  should  have  proved  insufficient 
to  sustain  him  ? 

It  was  of  circumstances  like  these  that  Narvaez  had  the  op- 
portunity and  the  tact  to  avail  himself.  Bold,  active,  unscrupu- 
lous, able,  he  was  the  individual,  of  all  others,  for  a  crisis  in 
which  a  man  was  needed  rather  than  a  constitution.  He  used 
his  elements,  in  combination,  to  break  down  Espartero,  and 
then  he  broke  down,  with  the  other  elements,  each  of  those 
that  separately  stood  in  his  own  way.  According  to  the 
principles  on  which  he  obtained  power,  he  exercised  it. 
Through  those  principles  he  kept  it,  and  will  most  probably 
return  to  it.  Where  there  was  an  evil,  he  sought  the  appropri- 
ate remedy, —  in  the  constitution  and  the  laws,  if  he  could 
readily  find  it  there,  but  wherever  else  he  could  find  it,  if  they 
did  not  contain  it.  He  respected  constitutional  forms  where 
they  did  not  interfere  with  the  substance  of  his  authority,  and 
22 


170  SPAIN. 

he  was  always  sure  to  adopt  them  if  he  readily  could,  when  he 
found  it  necessary  to  invade  the  substance  of  the  constitution. 
That  he  often  did  wrong,  no  one  can  doubt ;  that  his  princi- 
ples and  practices  all  tended  towards  the  perpetuation  of  his 
own  power,  is  just  as  indisputable.  But  it  cannot  be  denied, 
I  think,  that  he  served  his  country  far  better  in  the  main,  than 
if  he  had  confined  his  government  within  the  appointed  limits 
of  the  constitution.  The  evil  of  usurpation  was  for  the  time 
a  lesser  one  than  that  of  anarchy.  He  gave  strength  to  the 
central  power,  where  it  was  weak,  and  crushed  almost  to  ex- 
tinction the  spirit  of  petty  and  local  faction  and  insubordi- 
nation. He  repressed  rivalries  and  suppressed  revolts,  which 
indecision  would  have  nursed  into  civil  war.  By  making  his 
administration  thoroughly  national,  he  commanded  respect  for 
the  government  at  home  and  the  nation  abroad.  Finally,  and 
above  all  things,  he  kept  the  country  at  peace  within  and  with- 
out, so  that  industry  began  to  thrive,  internal  improvement  to 
awaken,  agriculture  and  commerce  to  start  into  new  life.  For 
the  first  time  within  the  memory  of  man,  the  capitalists  of  the 
nation,  and  even  of  other  nations,  began  to  feel  that  invest- 
ments were  safe ;  that  the  confidence  of  to-day  would  not  be 
turned  to  ruin  by  the  revolution  of  to-morrow.  Through  his 
means  the  ground  has  thus  been  made  more  safe  for  constitu- 
tional rulers  to  come.  He  has  extirpated  the  once  prevalent 
idea,  that  constitutional  government  is  only  an  organized  license, 
and  has  given  the  people  an  opportunity  of  seeing  and  feeling, 
for  themselves,  that  even  arbitrary  rule,  if  wise,  is  better  than 
no  authority  at  all.  A  gentler  and  weaker  hand  may  now 
guide  the  wild  horses  which  he  has  broken  to  the  rein.  The 
time  may  not  perhaps  have  come,  as  yet,  when  the  system  of 


SPAIN.  171 

Espartero  will  altogether  suffice  for  Spain ;  but  the  vigor  of 
Narvaez  has  brought  it  much  nearer  than  it  would  have  been, 
after  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  premature  republicanism.  Each 
of  the  rivals,  in  his  way,  has  deserved  well  of  his  country ; 
but  to  human  eyes  it  would  have  seemed  wiser  had  Narvaez 
preceded  Espartero. 

It  will  have  struck  the  reader,  probably,  in  going  over  these 
brief  sketches  of  the  men  who  rule  the  destinies  or  hold  high 
places  in  the  veneration  of  the  Spanish  people,  that  most  of 
them  have  sprung  from  humble  origin,  and  won  their  power 
and  reputation  for  themselves.     This  is  a  significant  fact,  and 
shows,  beyond  dispute,  that  the  popular  element  is  fully  at 
work  in  the  Peninsula,  under  all  the  shapes  which  political 
opinion  may  take.     The  court  and  army  of  Don  Carlos,  rep- 
resenting as  they  did  the  ultra-legitimist  principle,  would  have 
furnished  as  palpable  an  illustration  of  the  same  fact.     In 
speculating  hereafter  upon  the  political  future  of  Spain,  I 
may  have  occasion  to  recur  to  this,  as  giving  some  clew  to  her 
destiny.     For  the  present,  I  only  allude  to  it  as  in  amusing 
contrast  with  the  thirst  for  rank  and  title  which  seems  to 
pervade  all  classes  of  political  aspirants,  and  those,  especially, 
whose  elevation  is  least  due  to  the  distinctions  of  society.     In 
the  moment  of  triumph,  the  most  radical  party  seems  to  forget 
its  professions  and  the  prestige  which  they  gave.     The  Pro- 
gresista  progresses  straightways  into  a  countship,  if  he  can, 
and  the  Moderado  is  moderate,  if  he  asks  no  more  than  a 
marquisute.     Crosses  and  decorations,  ribbons  and  buttons,  are 
sought  and  given  without  stint, — so  that  unlucky  is  the  man 
of  moderate  pretensions  in  ]SIadrid  who  has  not  a  uniform,  at 
least,  to  wear  on  gala-days.     Knights  of  the  royal  orders  are 


172  SPAIN. 

as  plentiful  as  colonels  in  our  Southern  States.  The  list  of 
Grand  Crosses  in  the  order  of  Charles  the  Third  occupies  eight 
pages  of  the  Court  Guide, — that  of  similar  dignitaries  in  the 
order  of  Isabella  the  Catholic  goes  somewhat  over  ten.  In 
the  latter  list  the  reader  will  be  surprised  to  know  that  two 
respectable  Turkish  functionaries — Fuad  Effendi  and  Seid 
Mohammed  Emir  Aali  Baja — have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  their 
names  enrolled  !  It  would  be  curious  if  the  orthodox  queen, 
whose  memory  the  order  was  designed  to  honor,  could  burst 
her  cerements  at  Granada,  and  behold  the  cross  she  loved  and 
worshipped  resting,  in  her  name,  upon  the  bosom  of  the  infidel ! 
Almost  as  curious  it  might  be  to  know  the  infidel's  own 
thoughts,  as  he  puts  on  the  emblem  of  a  worship  he  despises, 
and  reflects  that  the  poor  creature  whose  name  it  bears  had  no 
pretentions  to  a  soul !  But  whatever  the  Turk  might  think, 
the  Spaniard  likes  the  cross  exceedingly.  "  If  we  were  to 
have  a  democracy  in  Spain,"  said  my  old  friend,  the  Carlist 
general,  "we  should  call  each  other  Serenisimo  ciudadano ! 
Ciudadano  principe  !  (Most  serene  citizen  !  Prince  citizen  !)  at 
the  least." 


XVII. 

Loyalty. — The  Queen.— Gijizot  and  Infante. — Regicides. — ^Neces- 
sity   OF    AN    ABLE    PrINCE.  —  ThE    QuEEN's    EmBARAZO.  — PuBLIC 

Rejoicings  and  Ceremonial. — Diplomatic  Congratulations  and 
Reception. — The  King. 

THERE  is  no  trait  aiore  prominent  in  the  national 
character  of  the  Spaniards,  than  the  loyalty  with  which 
they  have  always  borne  themselves  towards  their  kings,  even 
when  it  was  least  deserved  and  most  ungratefully  requited. 
Certainly  no  prince,  whom  history  records,  did  more  than 
Ferdinand  the  Seventh,  to  goad  and  irritate  a  people  whom  it 
seemed  the  business  of  his  life  to  wrong.  There  were  men, 
all  through  the  nation,  whom  he  had  maddened  into  hatred  of 
his  person  by  the  most  ingenious  refinements  of  insult  and 
persecution.  There  were  times,  when  only  his  personal  prestige 
— indeed  his  personal  existence — stood  between  the  people  and 
their  permanent  liberation  from  a  despotism  which  shamed  the 
vilest  annals  of  the  Roman  Empire.  No  one  ever  had  a 
better  right  than  he  to  expect  the  vengeance  of  men,  in  antici- 
pation of  the  justice  of  Heaven.  But  although  his  private 
habits  afforded  the  most  frequent  and  favorable  opportunities 
for  a.ssa.ssi nation,  while  his  public  conduct  was  perpetually 
prompting  and  deserving  national  retribution,  he  passed 
through  his  tyrannical  and  vicious  life  without  being  once  in 

173 


174  SPAIN. 

peril  of  the  dagger  or  the  scaffold.  The  Spaniards  are  proud 
of  this,  and  doubtless  it  does  credit  to  their  patience  and  for- 
bearance ;  though,  perhaps,  it  pushed  these  virtues  almost  into 
weakness.  When  Quiroga  was  in  London,  after  the  constitu- 
tional defeat  of  1823,  an  eminent  personage  suggested  to  him, 
that,  if  the  liberal  party  had  dealt  with  Ferdinand  as  he 
deserved,  they  Avould  have  saved  their  country  from  oppression 
and  themselves  from  death  or  exile.     "  It  may  be  true,  your 

,"  was  the  lofty  answer,  "  but  killing  kings  has  never 

been  a  Spanish  custom, — Nunca  ha  sido  uso  en  Espana, 
matar  reyesJ' 

But  though  it  may  have  been  "a  large  economy  ...  to 
save  the  like,"  there  was  prudence  as  well  as  principle  involved 
in  it.  The  spilling  of  their  monarch's  blood  would  have 
precipitated  on  the  Spaniards  all  the  reactionary  elements  of 
Europe.  The  intervention,  which  afterwards  disgraced  France 
chiefly,  would  have  been  Cossack  likewise.  The  darling  pro- 
ject of  the  French,  to  make  the  Ebro  the  boundary  of  their 
dominions,  would  have  been  consummated,  it  may  be,  by  the 
concession  and  the  guaranty,  to  other  powers,  of  beautiful  and 
fertile  Andalusia.  Another  dismemberment,  like  that  of  Pol- 
and, would  probably  have  brought  additional  reproach  upon 
the  century,  while  all  of  Europe  that  pretended  to  be  liberal 
would  have  looked  on  again  with  folded  arms.  It  was  well, 
therefore,  for  humanity  and  for  the  cause  of  freedom,  not  less 
than  for  the  weal  of  Spain,  that  Ferdinand  was  spared.  Not 
long  ago  the  Spaniards  had  an  opportunity  of  using,  with  no 
small  effect,  the  advantage  which  their  history  thus  gave  them 
over  their  less  conscientious  neighbors. 

In  1842,  I  think,  but  certainly  while  Espartero  held  the 
regency,  the  Moderados  and  the  French  their  allies  attempted 


SPAIN.  175 

to  create  the  impression,  that  the  Infantas — now  the  Queen  and 
the  Duchess  of  Montpensier — were  not  personally  safe  in  the 
hands  of  the  Progresistas.     By  way  of  giving  currency  and 
effect  to  the  imputation,  M.  Guizot  took  occasion  to  say,  in  the 
Chamber  of  Deputies,  that  France  would  regard  as  a  cause  of 
intervention  any  attempt  to  do  violence  to  the  royal  persons. 
The  insult  was  exceedingly  gratuitous,  and  excited  general 
indignation  in  Spain.     It  was  especially  ill-brooked  at  Madrid, 
and  an  admirable  speech  in  which  it  was  retorted,  by  Don 
Facundo  Infante,  a  constitutionalist  of  the  old  school,  shook 
the  capital  with  applause.     ''  The  quondam  Professor  of  Mod- 
ern History,"  he  said,  "  is  ignorant,  perhaps,  that  there  is  no 
such  word  as  '  regicide '  in  our  vocabulary.     The  thing  which 
it  signifies  is  not  known  to  our  history,  and  we  have  had  no 
use  for  the  name  in  our  language.*     There  are,  unhappily, 
some  nations  whose  annals  supply  the  deficiency  of  ours.     It 
would  be  well  if  our  neighbors  would  tell  us, — before  we 
trust  them   with   the  guardianship  of  our  monarchs, — how 
many  of  their  own  they  can   remember,  from  the  days  of 
Henri  Quatre,  who  have  not  been  the  victims,  or  at  all  events 
the  aim,  of  violence,  or  banishment,  or  murder!" 

The  present  Queen  of  Spain  had  obviously  no  dream  of 
peril  from  her  subjects,  during  the  period  of  which  I  write. 
She  mingled  freely  with  them  on  the  Prado  and  in  the  gardens 
of  the  Retiro  every  evening, — generally  in  an  open  carriage, 
and  accompanied  only  by  her  servants,  and  a  lady  and  gentle- 

*  Since  the  nbove  was  written,  tlie  attempted  murder  of  Queen  Isabella 
by  the  madman  Gomez  has  made  the  honest  boast  of  the  orator  no  longer 
just.  The  outrage,  however,  did  but  elicit  a  burst  of  abhorrence  so  univer- 
sal, as  to  show  that  the  nation  could  neither  have  sympathy  with  the  crime, 
nor  be  corrupted  by  the  example  of  the  assassin. 


176  SPAIN. 

man  or  two  in  waiting.  The  simplicity  of  her  cortege  was 
strikingly  in  contrast  with  the  array  of  cavalry  and  cocked 
pistols  under  the  protection  of  which  the  President  of  the 
French  Republic  went  out,  at  the  same  time,  to  fraternize  with 
his  fellow-citizens.  Upon  the  promenade,  and  as  she  passed 
along  the  streets,  the  greeting  of  the  people  to  Queen  Isabella 
was  cordial  and  apparently  sincere.  Her  bearing  towards  all 
was  full  of  kindness,  in  accordance  with  the  thorough  amiabil- 
ity which  is  remarkable  in  her  disposition.  Her  face,  though 
not  regarded  as  attractive  generally,  has  an  expression  of  sad- 
ness, at  times,  which  is  very  touching,  and  it  is  impossible,  I 
think,  to  see  her  often,  without  being  satisfied  that  palace-doors 
have  not  shut  sorrow  from  her.  That  her  domestic  relations 
were  far  from  being  happy  seemed  to  be  generally  conceded, 
and  if,  after  having  been  made  the  victim  of  state  policy  and 
diplomatic  intrigue,  she  were  in  fact  mindless  of  obligations 
which  were  forced  on  her,  it  would  be  but  what  has  happened 
a  thousand  times,  where  neither  the  temptations  nor  the  oppor- 
tunities of  royalty  were  added  to  the  recklessness  of  youth 
and  disappointment.  From  all  accounts,  she  is  entirely  with- 
out ambition,  and  well  disposed  to  part  with  any  of  her 
prerogatives  as  queen,  which  interfere  with  her  leisure  and 
freedom  as  a  woman. 

It  would  be  well,  indeed,  for  Isabella  the  Second,  and 
signally  a  blessing  to  her  people,  if,  even  for  the  pride  of 
governing,  she  could  be  brought  to  feel  a  graver  interest  in 
the  responsibilities  and  duties  of  her  station.  At  the  present 
stage  of  Spanish  affairs,  the  monarch  should  be  something 
more  than  an  estimable  person  or  a  respectable  figure  in  a 
pageant.     Not  all  the  ability  and  energy  of  the  most  vigorous 


SPAIN.  177 

ministry  can  supply  the  absence  of  those  qualities  in  the 
individual  who  holds  the  sceptre.  Men,  taken  from  the 
people  and  lifted  suddenly  to  power,  are  followed  necessarily 
by  envy  and  resentment.  They  may  make  themselves  dukes 
and  marquises,  but  they  cannot  overcome  the  popular  persua- 
sion that  the  only  sanction  of  their  authority  is  the  fact  of 
their  possessing  it.  Their  measures  will  be  scrutinized,  at  the 
best,  with  invidious  acuteness ;  their  motives  questioned  with 
all  the  distrust  of  rivalry.  They  may  use  the  name  and  lean 
on  the  prerogatives  of  the  monarch,  but  if  the  people  know 
that  it  is  the  ministers  who  govern,  not  the  king,  the  moral 
strength  of  the  government  will  fall  as  short  of  what  it  ought 
to  be,  as  the  prestige  of  a  subject  falls  short  of  a  king's. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  this  is  not  meant  to  be  said  of 
all  constitutional  monarchies  ;  for  where  the  people  govern 
through  the  legislature  and  the  cabinet,  the  personal  qualities 
of  the  monarch,  provided  they  be  tolerable,  are  of  no  particular 
importance.  A  responsible  ministry  is  quite  as  good,  in  such 
case,  as  a  Nvise  and  vigorous  king.  But  where,  as  in  Spain, 
constitutional  government  has  not  yet  grown  into  a  habit, — 
wdiere  the  influence  of  the  people  has  not  learned  to  make 
itself  felt  by  concentration  of  opinion  and  unity  of  action, — 
the  case  is  very  different.  There,  the  legislature  has  compara- 
tively little  to  do  with  the  direction  of  administrative  affairs, 
and  it  is  the  executive  government  which  actually  governs. 
In  such  countries  and  under  such  circumstances  royalty  is  a 
substantive  thing,  and  has  an  opportunity  of  displaying  itself 
in  its  most  effective  and  useful  phase  as  an  institution.  But, 
for  that  purpose,  the  individual  who  is  invested  with  the  royal 
prerogatives  must  be  able  to  wield  them  himself.  His  personal 
23 


178  SPAIK 

and  known  and  visible  participation  is  indispensable,  to  save 
the  state  from  those  continual  and  embittered  contests  of 
private  ambition,  which  are  apt  to  be  the  bane  of  popular 
institutions  in  their  earlier  stages.  Of  the  exercise  of  power 
by  the  monarch,  there  may  be  question,  so  far  as  policy  is 
concerned,  but  there  can  be  no  complaint  as  to  its  legitimacy. 
His  dignity  and  superiority,  being  beyond  cavil,  cannot  be  the 
cause  of  jealousy.  Any  man  may  intrigue  to  be  made  a 
Secretary,  in  the  stead  of  another  whom  he  knows  to  have  no 
better  right  than  he ;  but  no  man  in  his  sane  mind — unless  he 
means  to  be  a  rebel — will  endeavor  to  supplant  his  king. 
Even  if  the  monarch  steps  beyond  the  line  of  his  legitimate 
authority,  his  usurpation,  whether  for  good  or  for  evil,  has  at 
all  events  some  pretexts  and  prescriptions,  which  make  it 
comparatively  respectable.  A  ministerial  despotism,  on  the 
contrary,  is  not  only  bad  in  what  it  does,  but  in  itself.  It 
involves  an  insult  as  well  as  a  wrong,  and  is  hated  and  con- 
spired against  accordingly.  In  Spain,  where  the  sense  of 
personal  equality  among  the  people  is  as  strong  as  their 
reverence  for  the  throne  and  loyalty  to  him  who  fills  it,  this 
is  particularly  true;  and  the  personal  character  of  the  monarch, 
and  the  share  he  takes  in  the  government  of  which  he  is  the 
head,  are  proportionally  more  important  than  in  countries 
where  those  sentiments  prevail  less  actively.  Narvaez,  born 
king  of  Spain,  or  representing  the  will  of  a  prince  who  was 
known  to  have  a  will  of  his  own,  would  have  been  able  to 
do  more  in  a  single  year  for  the  welfare  of  his  country,  than 
in  ten,  perhaps,  as  prime  minister  in  name,  and  dictator  in 
fact.  He  would  have  had  no  palace  intrigues  to  make  him 
tremble  for  his   place,  no  small    cabals  of  pretendientes   to 


SPAIN.  179 

silence  or  suppress,  no  envy  or  repining  of  other  subjects  at 
the  power  which  lie — a  subject  only — wielded.  He  would 
have  gone  on  and  would  still  be  ruling, — sternly,  and  at  all 
times  despotically  it  may  be,  but  still  consistently  and  ably, — 
instead  of  being  badgered  and  cross-questioned  by  Gonzalez 
Bravo  and  supplanted  by  Bravo  Murillo. 

But  whatever  may  be  the  deficiency  of  Isabella  the  Second 
in  the  qualities  which  made  illustrious  the  long-descended  name 
she  bears,  and  whatever  may  be  the  tone  of  the  court  gossip 
in  regard  to  her  conduct  as  a  woman,  she  is,  as  I  have  said, 
certainly  popular  among  her  subjects.  Identified  as  she  is 
with  the  cause  of  free  institutions,  for  which  the  nation  has 
sacrificed  so  much,  it  is  not  strange  that — other  things  apart — 
they  should  regard  her  person  with  something  of  the  enthusi- 
asm which  rallied  them  around  her  rights  and  throne.  Dur- 
ing my  visit,  it  was  officially  announced  that  the  birth  of  an 
heir  to  the  crown  might  be  looked  for  in  a  few  months,  and 
the  occasion  developed  a  degree  of  earnest  congratulation  and 
solicitude  throughout  the  realm,  which  left  no  doubt  of  the 
Queen's  hold  upon  the  pojnilar  affection.  It  may  give  the 
reader  some  notion  of  Spanish  peculiarities,  to  describe  the 
public  manifestations  which  attended  and  followed  so  interest- 
ing a  disclosure. 

On  the  14th  of  February,  the  Duke  of  Valencia,  in  full 
and  magnificent  uuiform,  arrested  the  attention  of  each  branch 
of  the  legislature,  separately,  by  reading  a  communication  he 
had  received  from  the  proper  officer  of  her  ^lajesty's  house- 
hold, in  which  the  state  of  the  royal  health  was  reported,  from 
the  certificate  of  the  chief  physician  of  the  palace.  The  news 
could  not  have  been   very  unexpected,  for  the  subject  had 


180  SPAIN. 

already  been  discussed  in  the  fashionable  circles  and  the  news- 
papers. Indeed,  for  some  time  previous,  the  principal  streets 
leading  from  the  palace  to  the  Prado  had  been  sanded  carefully 
for  the  comfort  of  her  Majesty  in  driving,  and  the  press  had 
alluded  to  the  fact,  and  the  cause  of  it,  without  any  reserve. 
The  announcement,  nevertheless,  was  received  with  great 
enthusiasm  by  the  legislature.  The  Chamber  of  Deputies 
especially  sent  forth  shouts  of  Viva  la  Reina  !  which  might 
have  been  heard  almost  in  the  royal  apartments.  Immediate 
steps  were  taken  upon  all  sides  to  congratulate  the  Queen. 
The  Chamber  of  Deputies  disputed  for  some  time  as  to 
whether  they  should  present  themselves  in  mass,  or  be  repre- 
sented by  a  committee.  Sr.  Olozaga,  who  is  rather  a  stickler 
for  the  dignity  of  the  representative  department,  protested 
against  parading  the  whole  body,  in  its  official  capacity, 
through  the  streets.  Narvaez  had  the  tact  to  agree  with  him, 
and  the  matter  was  compromised  by  the  appointment  of  a  com- 
mittee, with  the  understanding  that  all  the  rest  of  the  mem- 
bers might  go  in  company,  if  they  chose.  No  one,  of  course, 
was  impolitic  enough  to  be  absent,  even  if  any  one  desired  to 
be,  which,  in  the  general  jubilee,  I  very  much  doubt.  The 
Presidents  of  the  two  houses  made  fine  speeches,  her  Majesty 
answered  with  great  patriotism  and  amiability,  and  for  the 
moment  all  party  distinctions  seemed  to  have  been  forgotten 
in  the  overflowing  of  loyal  enthusiasm.  The  Cortes  having 
set  the  example,  there  seemed,  for  a  fortnight  at  least,  to  be  a 
general  descent,  upon  the  palace,  of  all  public  bodies  and  func- 
tionaries who  could  lay  the  slightest  claim  to  congratulatory 
privileges.  Only  the  President  of  the  United  States,  on  his 
way  to  the  Springs  or  to  a  railroad  opening,  was  ever  so  over- 


SPAIN.  181 

whelmed  with  discourses;  and  although  the  subject  was  uot 
one  which  afforded  much  scope,  it  was  treated,  nevertheless,  in 
all  the  sublime  varieties  of  what  the  Spanish  grammarians  call 
"  figurative  syntax."  I  was  present  at  the  demonstration  made 
by  the  diplomatic  corps, — having  but  a  few  days  before  been 
privately  presented, — and  although  the  grotesqueness  of  the 
idea  could  not  but  force  itself  upon  me  during  the  whole  cere- 
mony, I  was  impressed  by  its  magnificeuce  and  the  cordial 
spirit  which  seemed  to  animate  all  who  took  part  in  it. 

Sir  Henry  Wotton  says  that  "  to  make  a  complete  staircase 
is  a  curious  piece  of  architecture,"  and  I  Avas  never  more 
forcibly  struck  with  the  effect  which  that  stately  portion  of  an 
edifice  may  be  ma<le  to  produce,  than  when  we  were  passing 
up  the  principal  stairway  of  the  palace,  on  the  evening  in 
question.  The  steps  and  balustrade,  of  exquisite  white  mar- 
ble, were  made  more  brilliant  by  the  crimson  contrast  of  rich 
carpeting,  and  the  muskets  and  halberds  of  the  guard,  M'ho 
saluted  us  at  the  entrance  and  on  every  platform,  had  a  festive 
glitter  in  the  flood  of  softened  light.  A  few  moments  of  easy 
ascent  carrried  us  to  the  door  of  the  superb  ante-chamber, 
where  the  aids  of  the  military  personages  in  attendance  and 
a  number  of  officers  of  the  household  waited,  in  rich  uniforms. 
In  the  adjoining  apartment  of  the  suite  we  found  the  principal 
members  of  the  diplomatic  body  already  assembled,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  we  were  ushered,  with  the  usual  ceremonial, 
into  the  presence-chamber.  Upon  the  opposite  side  of  the 
magnificent  saloon  to  that  from  which  we  entered,  stood  the 
Queen,  beside  a  table  covered  with  crimson  velvet.  TJjc  King 
was  on  her  left,  and  on  the  other  side  of  the  table  stood 
jS'arvaez,  with  the  Ministers  of  Finance  and  Grace  and  Justice. 


182  SPAIN. 

At  the  head  of  the  chamber  was  the  Minister  of  State,  with 
the  rest  of  his  colleagues,  and  at  the  foot  the  Count  of  Sevilla 
la  Nueva,  the  Introducer  of  Ambassadors.  Behind  their 
Majesties  were  some  attendants  of  high  rank.  The  chiefs  of 
the  different  legations,  in  the  due  order  of  ])recedence,  with  the 
Pope's  Nuncio  at  their  head,  arranged  themselves  in  line 
opposite  the  royal  persons.  Behind  each  minister  stood  his 
secretary,  and  the  other  members  of  his  diplomatic  family. 
When  the  whole  pageant  was  in  right  array,  it  was  gorgeous 
in  the  extreme ;  for  the  apartment  was  lofty  and  superbly 
lighted,  its  architecture  and  furniture  were  all  that  taste  and 
luxury  could  devise,  and  the  various  splendor  of  the  uniforms 
and  court-dresses  elicited  the  admiration  of  those  who  were 
most  accustomed  to  such  displays. 

As  soon  as  we  had  subsided  into  our  places,  the  Nuncio 
produced  a  congratulatory  address  in  Spanish,  on  the  part  of 
himself  and  his  colleagues,  which  he  read  with  great  earnest- 
ness and  deliberation,  but  with  a  provokingly  Italian  accent, 
which  was  almost  too  much  for  the  gravity  of  more  than  one 
of  the  dignified  assemblage.  When  he  had  finished,  her 
Majesty,  in  a  distinct  tone,  but  very  rapidly,  read  an  expres- 
sion of  her  thanks  and  "  sweet  hopes."  She  then  proceeded 
towards  the  Nuncio,  whom  she  saluted  very  graciously,  and, 
after  conversing  with  him  for  a  few  moments,  passed  down 
the  line  of  the  Ambassadors,  saying  a  few  words  to  each  in  his 
turn.  The  King  followed  her,  but  seemed  to  be  in  no  great 
haste  to  finish  his  part  of  the  performance, — so  that  her  Majes- 
ty was  compelled  to  wait  some  time  for  him,  with  the  Intro- 
ducer of  Ambassadors,  at  the  foot  of  the  saloon.  She  obviously 
did  not  bear  the  delay  very  patiently, — as  was  quite  natural, 


SPAIN.  183 

— and  when  the  King  finally  joined  her,  she  made  her  exit 
with  him  at  once,  by  a  door  opposite  to  us.  The  curious  in 
such  matters  may  be  edified  by  the  information,  that  their 
Majesties  retired  facing  the  diplomatic  body, — making  three 
several  bows  as  they  moved  across  the  apartment,  and  another 
at  the  door,  as  they  were  in  the  act  of  passing  through  it. 

It  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  been  near  the  King,  for  a 
sufficiently  long  time  to  observe  him  particularly.  He  is  of 
short  stature,  exceedingly  juvenile  and  effeminate  in  his  ap- 
pearance, with  a  "shrill  treble"  in  his  voice,  and  a  downy, 
incipient  moustache.  Whether  he  deserves  one  half  the 
unamiable  and  disparaging  things  which  are  said  of  him  may 
well  be  doubted  by  any  one  who  knows  the  reckless  license  of 
court  scandal ;  but  there  is  no  risk,  I  am  sure,  in  saying  that 
neither  Lavater  nor  Spurzheim  would  hasten  to  select  him, 
from  outward  signs,  as  the  model  of  a  ruler  among  men. 


XVIII. 

Social  Customs  in  Madrid. — Entertainments. — Society  and  its 
Spirit. — Imitation  of  the  French. — The  Academy  and  the 
Press. — Socialism. — Etiquette. — Social  Frankness  and  Cordi- 
ality. 

IN  all  the  capitals  of  Europe,  the  general  tone  of  society 
among  the  higher  classes  is,  of  course,  given  by  the 
court ;  but  Madrid  is  so  emphatically  "  la  Corte,'' — the  Court 
and  nothing  else, — that  every  movement  at  the  Palace  vibrates 
through  the  whole  circumference  of  the  social  circle.  The 
Queen,  who  is  as  generous  as  she  is  gay,  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  throwing  open  the  royal  saloons  to  her  lieges  without  stint, 
and  I  found  that  traditions  of  her  splendid  balls  and  routs, 
during  the  preceding  winters,  were  quite  rife  among  the  gossips 
of  fashion.  Indeed,  I  met  with  a  party  of  young  noblemen 
who  had  come  from  Belgium,  all  the  way,  in  the  praiseworthy 
expectation  of  realizing  sundry  wonderful  accounts  which  had 
been  given  them  by  some  of  their  luckier  friends,  who  were 
in  Madrid  the  year  before.  Unhappily,  however,  the  events  to 
which  I  have  alluded  disappointed  the  hopes  and  calculations 
of  the  dancing  world,  during  the  season  of  my  visit,  and 
confined  the  entertainments  at  the  palace  to  a  few  operatic 
performances.  As  a  consequence,  scarcely  any  one  seemed 
disposed  to  open  or  carry  on  the  usual  festive  campaign,  and 
184 


SPAIN.  185 

several  of  my  acquaintance,  who  had  promised  me  marvels 
wlien  the  season  opened,  were  careful  to  tell  me,  when  it  was 
over,  that  they  had  never  seen  Madrid  so  little  like  itself. 
The  few  general  entertainments  which  were  given  were  proba- 
bly a  fair  type  of  the  many  which  would  have  kept  them 
company  under  more  favorable  auspices ;  but  as  it  is  no  part 
of  my  plan  to  chronicle  a  stranger's  experience  of  private 
hospitality,  I  must  leave  the  reader  to  imagine,  that  wealth 
and  social  cultivation  have  the  same  results  in  Madrid  as  all 
the  world  over. 

In  telling  the  story  of  my  former  rambles  in  Spain,  I  took 
occasion  to  say  something  about  the  rarity  of  invitations  to 
dinner,  which  some  travellers  complain  of  so  bitterly.  It  is 
not  the  custom  of  the  country  to  feed  the  hungry  after  that 
fashion, — and  whether  it  be  a  fault  or  a  virtue,  Madrid,  in 
that  particular,  is  like  the  rest  of  the  kingdom.  Any  one  who 
makes  up  his  mind  to  be  a  dweller  in  the  capital  must  resign 
himself  to  the  inevitable  necessity,  for  the  most  part,  of  casting 
his  own  bread  upon  the  waters,  and  finding  it  for  himself  when 
he  can.  With  but  few  exceptions,  the  foreigners  resident  at 
Madrid  are  the  only  Amphitryons,  and  there  are  those  of  them, 
no  doubt,  who  are  consequently  remembered  in  the  same  spirit 
which  taught  the  weary  pilgrims  to 

"  drink,  and  pray 
For  the  kind  soul  of  Sybil  Grey.'' 

The  prodigal  abundance — which  loads  the  tables  and  sup- 
ports  the   medical   faculty,  regular  and   irregular,  wherever 
Anglo-Saxondom,  or  its  remotest  offshoot,  stretches — forms 
no  part  of  Spanish  social  economy.     The  tertulias,  or  evening 
24 


186  SPAIN. 

receptions — which  are  so  natural,  so  pleasant,  and  so  free,  that 
no  one  can  enjoy  them  long,  without  regarding  them  as  one 
of  the  most  charming  fashions  of  social  intercourse — are  alto- 
gether without  gastronomic  embellishments.  A  little  orchata, 
lemonade  and  cake,  with  perhaps  a  cup  of  tea  where  foreign 
tastes  have  been  acquired,  are  all  that  a  large  company  will 
desire,  to  help  them,  with  music  and  conversation,  through  a 
long  and  agreeable  evening.  If  cards  are  introduced,  as  they 
frequently  are,  it  is  not  often  that  the  game  gets  the  better  of 
prudence.  In  the  more  aristocratic  saloons,  where  ecarie  is 
popular,  the  stakes  are  generally  made  up  by  the  bystanders, — 
and  the  loser  invariably  resigns  his  seat  to  his  neighbor,  as  soon 
as  fate  determines  against  him.  The  amusement  of  one  is  thus 
made  the  amusement  of  all,  and  there  is  a  natural  and  constant 
diffusion  of  that  social  electricity,  which  we  are  too  apt,  in  this 
country,  to  suppose  can  only  be  disseminated  by  the  ponderous 
machinery  of  a  supper. 

Some  ill-natured  commentators  upon  Spanish  customs  have 
been  disposed  to  attribute  the  fast-day  character  of  these  enter- 
tainments to  the  poverty  of  the  people,  or  their  economy, 
rather  than  their  moderation.  I  have  no  idea  that  there  is 
any  foundation  wliatever  for  that  impression.  People  would 
be  called  together  less  frequently,  no  doubt,  if  it  were  necessary 
to  tempt  them  by  costly  preparations ;  and  it  is  more  than 
probable,  that  the  Spaniards,  like  all  the  rest  of  the  children 
of  men,  would  say  Ha !  ha !  among  the  banquets,  if  there  were 
any,  as  the  war-horses  are  wont  to,  among  the  trumpets.  Yet 
this  last  would  only  happen  from  the  common  weakness  of  all 
flesh  and  the  superiority  of  temptation  to  human  powers  of 
resistance.    I  am  quite  persuaded,  in  spite  of  it,  that  the  present 


SPAIN.  187 

system  is  the  result  of  both  taste  and  principle.  The  Spaniards 
are  notoriously  an  abstemious  people,  in  the  very  bosom  of 
abundance;  hence,  to  be  moderate  is  to  them  natural.  In  the 
midst,  too,  of  all  their  distinctions  of  rank  and  class, — their 
stars  and  crosses  and  uniforms, — they  are,  as  I  have  frequently 
repeated,  more  practically  observant  of  personal  equality  than 
any  people  I  have  seen.  A  social  habit,  therefore,  which  puts 
rich  and  poor  upon  a  level,  so  far  as  they  may  instrinsically 
deserve  to  be,  is  entirely  in  accordance  with  their  instincts. 
Fond,  too,  as  they  are  of  pleasant  intercourse,  it  is  but  reason- 
able that  they  should  adhere,  with  some  pertinacity,  to  observ- 
ances which  remove  the  ban  so  often  put  by  adverse  fortune, 
elsewhere,  on  social  talents  or  accomplishments.  Hal  leek's 
"Fanny"  could  never  have  been  a  poem  of  Spanish  life.  The 
"dwelling  of  the  proud  and  poor"  would  not  have  closed  its 
doors  or  lost  its  visitors,  because  there  was  no  lunger  a  chande- 
lier in  the  drawing-room.  If  the  inmates  had  been  worth 
cultivating,  the  world  would  have  sought  and  found  them,  as 
usual,  on  the  next  pleasant  evening  after  the  notary  had  called 
to  protest  the  bill.  Not  that,  in  Spain,  adversity  is  altogether 
without  the  shadows  which  make  its  pathway  cold  and  gloomy 
everywhere;  but  that  social  pleasure  is  made  to  depend  more 
upon  the  men  and  women  who  enjoy  and  give  it,  than  on  the 
adventitious  circumstances  which  surround  them,  and  these 
may  consequently  take  to  themselves  wings,  without  carrying 
every  thing  along  with  them. 

Madrid,  however,  is  no  very  accurate  or  favorable  type  of 
the  national  character  antl  customs,  in  the  particulars  of  which 
I  have  been  speaking.  Socially,  indeed, — it  is  strange,  but 
it  is  true, — the  capital  is  the  most  un-Spanish  city  in  the 


188  SPAIN. 

kingdom.  There  is  less  of  the  national  freedom  and  frankness 
there,  more  ostentation,  more  pretension,  more  servility  in  the 
imitation  of  foreign  tastes  and  habits,  than  in  all  the  rest  of 
Spain  put  together.  I  have  heard  some  of  the  Madrilefios 
rebel  sturdily  against  this  conclusion ;  but  it  is  just,  never- 
theless, and  I,  for  one,  certainly  adopt  it  in  no  unfriendly 
spirit.  The  persons  to  whom  I  refer  insisted  that  foreigners 
visit  Spain  merely  to  enjoy  its  peculiarities, — the  points  in 
■^hich  it  differs  from  the  more  modernized  countries  of 
Europe.  Looking  at  the  people  merely  in  the  picturesque 
point  of  view,  travellers,  they  said,  are  disappointed  at  finding 
that  the  French  bonnet  and  hat  have  superseded  the  mantilla 
and  calanes  on  the  Pi-ado, — that  boleros  and  the  oh  are  not 
danced  in  polite  society, — and  that  well-bred  men  and  women 
in  Madrid  are  dressed  and  bear  themselves  like  well-bred 
people  in  the  other  capitals  of  Europe.  Hence  it  is,  they 
said,  tiiat  strangers  pronounce  Madrid  un-Spanish.  Going  to 
the  Peninsula  as  to  a  bal  de  costume,  they  are  disai){)oiuted  at 
not  finding  the  maskers  and  mummers  as  fantastic  as  they 
had  expected. 

There  would  be  a  good  deal  of  force  in  this,  if  it  told  the 
whole  truth.  No  people  are  under  an  obligation  to  be 
stationary  for  the  amusement  of  picturesque  tourists.  Inter- 
course with  other  nations  would  be  of  but  little  service,  were 
we  not  at  liberty  to  learn  and  willing  to  be  taught  any  im- 
provement on  our  national  usages.  Though,  therefore,  I 
consider  it  very  barbarous  taste  to  supplant  the  mantilla  by 
any  French  or  English  contrivance  whatever,  I  see  no  reason 
why  those  who  think  differently  should  not  be  allowed  to 
indulge  their  notions  accordingly.    With  far  greater  readiness, 


SPAIN. 


189 


I  admit  both  the  wisdom  and  civilization  of  intrwUicing  the 
French  system  of  cookery,  to  the  fullest  extent.     Any  oue 
who  prefers  the  puchero  of  his  fathers  ougiit  of  course  to  be 
tolerated  in  adhering  to  it  himself,  provided  he  gives  to  others 
the  choice  between  it  and  something  better.    But,  on  the  other 
hand,  it  is  entirely  in   accordance  with   the   most  orthodox 
Espaflolismo,  for  a  man  to  prefer  what  the  culinary  genius  of 
the  Palais  Royal  has  done  for  humanity,  to  all  the  combina- 
tions of  garbanzos  and  tocino  that  have  come  down  from  the 
days  of  King  Roderick.    Neither  patriotism,  nor  prescription, 
nor  "reverence,"  has  any  thing  to  do  with  so  vital  a  matter. 
-    But   the   customs  of  Madrid   go  very  far   beyond    these 
reasonable  limits.     The  dynasty  and  its  associations  have  in- 
fused the  French  mind,  as  far  as  possible,  into  the  national 
body,  and  the  French  raiment  in  which  they  have  clothed  the 
latter  is  consequently  worth  noticing  as  a  type  of  the  inward 
transformation.      French    habits    have    been    introduced, — 
French    tastes   domesticated, — French    ideas,  and    doctrines, 
and  even  prejudices,  incorporated  into  the  national  stock, — 
not  because  they  are  better  than  the  old,  but  because  they 
are  French.     What   foreigners   admire  most  in  the  Spanish 
character  and  manners  is  that  which  is  most  characteristic. 
The  Madrid  theory  seems  to  be,  that  to  adhere  to  what  is 
characteristic  and  national  is  to  linger  behind  the  age.     In 
the    most   elevated   circles — in    the    very   palace    itself — the 
French  language  is  spoken,  not  merely  as  a  matter  of  diplo- 
matic necessity  or  convenience,  but  of  choice ;  and  Spanish  is 
hardly  tolerated  there,  even  between  Spaniards.    The  personal 
example  of  the  Queen,  who  is  especially  fond  of  her  native 
language,  has  failed  to  check   this  corruption  of  the  public 


190  SPAIN. 

taste.  It  has  goue  so  far,  that  not  only  the  ephemeral  pro- 
ductions of  the  press,  but  even  the  best-conducted  journals, 
and  the  works  of  some  of  the  most  popular  writers,  are  filled 
with  glaring  Gallicisms.  The  Dictionary  of  the  Academy 
itself — the  standard  and  test  of  purity  in  the  Castilian — is 
naturalizing  these  interpolations  so  steadily  and  progressively, 
that  a  witty  censor,  not  long  back,  insisted  on  having  the  last 
edition  translated  into  Spanish  !  The  discourse  of  a  promi- 
nent Senator  of  the  Moderado  party,  delivered  while  I  was 
in  Madrid  on  the  occasion  of  his  admission  to  the  Academy, 
was  amusingly  and  justly  criticized  in  detail,  by  a  writer  in 
the  Clamor  Fiiblico,  for  its  palpable  introduction  of  un- 
authorized French  words  and  idioms.  The  thing  was  made 
too  plain  to  be  above  even  a  foreigner's  appreciation. 

As  has  been  heretofore  observed,  in  speaking  of  the  Madrid 
press,  the  newspapers  have  not  only  adopted  the  French  form 
and  arrangement,  but  are  mostly  printed,  as  nearly  all  the  best 
books  are,  from  French  type.  The  French  political  })hil- 
osophy  which  may  be  current  at  the  time  furnishes,  in  like 
manner,  to  the  journalists  on  both  sides,  the  greater  part  of 
their  maxims  and  logic.  Sometimes  the  effect  of  this  is  very 
amusing.  For  example,  if  there  be  any  thing  on  earth  of 
which  a  Spaniard  is,  from  his  moral  and  physical  constitution, 
incapable,  that  thing,  it  may  be  safely  said,  is  socialism.  Your 
genuine  Iberian  may  do  many  things  both  strange  and  wild, 
in  a  political  way,  but  his  peculiarities  must  always  have  a 
practical  turn.  He  will  "pronounce,"  with  his  shouldered 
musket,  in  the  plaza, — he  will  shoot  a  Jefe  Politico, — hunt  a 
broken-down  minister  to  the  very  frontier, — turn  guerrilleroy 
and  go  through  five  years  of  countermarching  and  starvation, 


SPAIN.  191 

to  break  clown  an  existing  dynasty  or  give  the  king  of  his 
choice  "  his  own  again," — but  socialist,  Fourierist,  communist, 
or  transcendentalist  of  any  species,  he  cannot  be.  He  has  not 
the  stuff  in  him  of  which  these  sorts  of  people  are  made.  His 
romance,  his  human  instalment  of  insanity,  does  not  run  in 
that  direction.  He  has  excellent  common  sense,  in  the  first 
place,  besides  a  keen  perception  of  the  ridiculous,  and  a  con- 
tempt for  metaphysics  generally.  "  You  are  metaphysical," 
says  Babieea,  the  horse  of  the  Cid,  to  Rozinante,  in  one  of  the 
sonnets  prefixed  to  the  first  edition  of  Don  Quixote.  "'Tis 
that  I  eat  not !  "  is  the  INIanchegan  charger's  reply.  The  Span- 
iard, everywhere,  is  of  Rozinante's  opinion,  that  too  nice  spec- 
ulation is  a  windy  business,  furnishing  small  entertainment 
for  man  or  horse. 

In  spite  of  this, — which  is  as  indisputably  a  trait  of  the 
Spanish  character  as  loyalty  or  constancy,  or  any  of  its  virtues 
or  vices, — there  was  not  a  conservative  paper  in  all  Madrid, 
that  did  not  daily  and  principally  enlarge  upon  the  horrors  of 
the  socialist  doctrines,  and  invoke  the  energies  of  the  country 
and  the  powers  of  the  government  to  check  the  progress  of 
liberal  politics,  as  involving  socialism  and  its  consequences,  of 
necessity.  M.  Proudhon  was  the  great  bugbear.  French 
democracy  had  run  riot,  and  declared  all  property  to  be  rob- 
bery;  therefore  there  was  no  safety  for  any  thing,  in  Spain, 
that  savored  of  concession  to  the  people.  The  reasoning  was 
not  very  conclusive,  but  still  it  was  generally  adopted,  and  the 
perservation  of"  elorden  " — "  order" — seemed,  by  general  con- 
sent, to  be  regarded  by  the  whole  conservative  party  as  the 
only  purpose  for  which  government  was  instituted.  The  party 
of  progress,  on  the  other  hand,  did  not  fail,  I  must  admit,  to 


192  SPAIN. 

give  some  color  to  the  pretensions  of  the  enemy.  The  mag- 
nificent generalities  of  the  French  republican  orators  were  too 
high-sounding  in  Castilian  for  journalist  nature  to  resist,  and 
phrases,  which  might  perhaps,  have  been  potent,  and  conse- 
quently dangerous,  at  the  Hdtel  de  Ville,  were  now  and  then 
let  loose  from  the  columns  of  a  liberal  newspaper.  It  needed 
great  folly  to  suppose  that  such  abstractions  could  be  any  thing 
more  than  simply  ridiculous  in  Spain.  Yet  it  was  mortifying 
to  see  how  frequently  the  political  discussions,  both  in  print 
and  in  the  Cortes,  were  made  to  turn,  almost  exclusively,  upon 
them.  It  will  be  worth  while  to  observe  the  course  which 
things  of  the  sort  will  take,  now  that  France  has  adopted  the 
coup  d'itatf  which  is  emphatically  a  Spanish  (or  Turkish) 
invention. 

The  etiquette  of  Madrid  was,  in  most  particulars,  very 
rational.  Strangers,  on  arriving  in  the  city,  were  expected  to 
leave  cards  for  those  persons  on  whose  civility  they  had  any 
claim.  The  promptness  or  delay  with  which  the  courtesy 
was  acknowledged,  furnished  a  pretty  fair  test  of  the  cordial- 
ity with  which  a  more  particular  acquaintance  was  likely  to 
be  encouraged.  On  New- Year's  day,  or  from  that  to  Twelfth- 
day,  every  one  sent  cards  to  all  his  acquaintance,  and  a  neglect 
of  that  attention  was  construed,  in  the  absence  of  explanation, 
to  indicate  a  wish  for  the  suspension  of  visiting  intercourse. 
It  was  an  easy  civility,  however,  and  few  disregarded  it.  You 
had  only  to  make  out  a  list,  and  your  servant  did  the  rest. 
Persons  about  to  enter  upon  the  holy  estate  of  matrimony, 
announced  the  fact  to  all  with  whom  they  desired  to  continue 
their  social  relations,  by  sending  round  a  card,  in  their  joint 
names,  giving  the  direction  of  their  intended  residence  and  an 


SPAIN.  193 

invitation  to  visit  them.  Formal  visits  were  generally  made 
between  two  and  five  in  the  afternoon,  yet  few  persons  re- 
ceived formally,  and  it  was  generally  polite  to  send  a  card, 
always  so  to  leave  one  in  person,  without  asking  to  be  admit- 
ted. Most  families  of  any  social  position  had  stated  evenings 
— once  in  a  week  or  a  fortnight — on  which  they  expected 
visitors,  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  it  was  regarded  as  unsocial, 
if  not  uncivil,  for  even  an  ordinary  acquaintance  to  neglect 
presenting  himself,  occasionally,  at  these  unpretending  re- 
unions. 

In  the  more  fashionable  houses,  the  evening  receptions  did 
not  begin  before  nine  o'clock.  They  generally  lasted  until 
near  midnight,  about  which  hour,  if  there  was  a  ball  else- 
where, the  comi)any  would  separate  to  meet  again.  Such 
hours,  of  course,  were  not  likely  to  encourage  early  rising,  and 
I  have  heard  it  said  of  some  fair  ladies,  that,  on  their  way 
home  from  the  dance  of  Saturday  night,  they  would  now  and 
then  point  the  moral  of  earthly  vanity,  by  hearing  mass  in 
their  faded  flowers !  The  gay  and  passionate,  who  had  the 
vigor  of  youth  as  well  as  its  hopes  and  promptings,  no  doubt 
found  enjoyment  in  this, — at  any  rate  for  a  while ;  but  there 
were  others  on  whom  it  must  have  imposed  a  melancholy  servi- 
tude. Power  was  to  be  sought,  as  well  as  pleasure,  even  in  the 
saloons  of  Madrid,  and  many  an  intrigue  to  overturn  a  ministry 
or  circumvent  an  opposition  was  planned  and  thwarted  amid 
festal  light  and  music.  Politicians,  diplomatists,  and  the  higher 
order  of  pretendientes,  were  usually  watchers,  therefore,  on  such 
occasions.  Many  a  weary  and  sad  Major  Pendennis  went 
through  a  nightly  tribulation,  which  all  the  honors  and  profits 
of  the  Court  would  have  but  ill  repaid.  I  could  not  help 
25 


194  SPAIN. 

thinking,  sometimes,  how  natural  it  was  that  affairs  should 
occasionally  go  wrong,  when  the  brains  on  which  their  con- 
duct depended  were  so  often  throbbing,  at  the  dawn,  with  the 
fever  of  sleepless  revelry.  It  was  on  account  of  such  habits, 
most  probably,  that  the  ministerial  bureaus  were  so  rarely 
accessible,  for  any  purposes  of  business,  before  the  afternoon. 
No  one  who  knows,  from  experience,  how  little  of  the  working 
day  is  left  when  the  morning  is  gone,  can  be  surprised,  after 
knowing  this  fact,  at  the  delays  and  postponements  in  which 
the  public  offices  of  Spain  so  proverbially  abound. 

It  was  not,  of  course,  among  the  polkas  and  mazurkas — 
which  are  danced,  all  the  world  over,  to  the  same  music,  well 
or  ill  played — that  the  characteristics  of  Spanish  society  were 
to  be  particularly  sought,  even  so  far  as  they  were  to  be  found, 
at  all,  in  Madrid.  The  quiet  tertulia,  among  quiet  people,  was 
more  interesting  to  a  stranger,  on  that  account,  than  the  rout 
which  followed  it.  The  one  he  could  see  almost  anywhere, 
with  perhaps  some  little  variety  in  its  accidents ;  the  other  he 
could,  on  the  whole,  find  nowhere  else.  With  respectable 
introductions,  he  could  have  access,  on  almost  every  night  of 
the  week,  to  tertulias,  literary,  political,  or  merely  social, 
according  to  his  taste.  A  fair  acquaintance  with  the  Spanish 
language  would  be  necessary  to  his  complete  enjoyment  and 
appreciation  of  them ;  for  although  he  would  seldom  be  without 
some  one  to  speak  with  him  in  his  own  tongue,  or,  at  all  events, 
in  French,  yet  the  conversation — except,  as  I  have  said,  in  the 
more  courtly  circles — was,  for  the  most  part,  carried  on  in 
Spanish,  and  its  spirit  and  style  were  mainly  national.  The 
unreserve  with  which  he  would  hear  persons  and  things 
discussed,   according   to   the   predominating   opinion   of  the 


SPAIN.  195 

company,  would  surprise  him  a  little,  at  first ;  but  he  would 
soon  find  iiimself  regarded  as  having  undergone  a  sort  of 
matriculation,  which  involved  confidence  as  well  as  cordiality. 
Whatever  he  might  find  to  be  the  degree  of  sensibility  mani- 
fested by  the  Spaniards,  as  a  people,  to  any  impeachment  of 
their  national  intelligence  or  dignity,  he  would  soon  learn,  that, 
as  individuals,  they  were  as  open  as  any  to  respectful  and 
kindly  interrogation  or  suggestion.  If  he  should  fail  to  under- 
stand them  fully  and  appreciate  them  fairly,  it  would  be  his  own 
fault ;  for,  lack  what  they  might  in  other  things,  they  would 
show  him  no  want  of  frankness.  If,  in  the  midst  of  the  very 
kindness  which  made  him  at  home  upon  the  briefest  acquaint- 
ance, he  should  perceive  an  attentive  politeness,  approaching 
so  near  to  formality  as  now  and  then  to  embarrass  him,  he 
would  soon  be  brought  to  understand  and  admire  it  as  the 
expression  of  habitual  consideration  for  the  feelings  of  others. 
He  would  value  it  the  more,  when  he  learned,  from  its  univer- 
sality, that  what  was  elsewhere  chiefly  a  thing  of  manners  and 
education,  was  there  a  genial  instinct  developed  into  a  social 
charity. 


XIX. 

Theatris  and  Dramatic  Literature. — Actors  and  their  Styxe. — 

ROMEA   AND   MaTILDE   DiAZ. — BrETON  DE  LOS   HeRREROS  AND   HIS 

Plays.— RuBi.— Isabel  la  Catolica. — Historical  Drajias.— 
Theatrical  Police. — Literary  Rewards. — Copyright. — Count 
op  San  Luis. 

THE  Teatro  de  Oriente,  when  I  was  in  Madrid,  being  still 
as  Ferdinand  left  it,  there  was  no  theatre  or  opera-house 
on  a  scale  worthy  of  a  capital.  Indeed,  with  the  exception  of  the 
private  operas  at  the  palace,  it  was  admitted,  on  all  hands,  that 
the  season  was  without  musical  attractions.  The  drama  fared 
much  better, — and  although  the  minor  theatres,  with  ballet 
and  vaudeville,  were  more  generally  attended,  the  Teatro  Es- 
pafiol  (known  for  nearly  half  a  century  as  the  Teatro  del  Prfn- 
cipe, — the  Prince's  Theatre)  was  constantly  presenting  plays 
of  the  best  character,  in  quite  a  high  style  of  art.  This  theatre 
is  the  property  of  the  Ayuntamiento  of  Madrid,  at  whose  risk 
and  for  whose  account  it  was  conducted  ;  but  the  worshipful 
fathers  of  the  city,  with  a  discretion  not  usually  belonging  to 
their  class,  had  placed  its  management  in  the  hands  of  Don 
Julian  Romea,  a  capital  actor, — who  was,  besides,  no  mean 
poet,  and  said  to  be  one  of  the  best  dramatic  critics  in  Spain. 
Under  his  auspices  and  the  very  liberal  enconragement  of  the 
Count  of  San  Luis,  then  Minister  of  the  Interior,  the  best 
196 


SPAIN.  197 

poetical  talent  of  the  country  was  called  into  requisition,  and 
the  Espaflol  had  become  an  excellent  school  of  taste  for  both 
actors  and  authors.  Its  audience  was  generally  made  up  of 
the  most  cultivated  people,  and  evinced  a  discrimination  in 
applause  and  censure,  that  bespoke  the  habit  of  hearing  and 
seeing  good  models.  The  theatre  itself — then  the  best  in  the 
city,  though  not  the  largest — was  very  comfortably  arranged 
for  the  spectators,  although  so  narrowly  provided  with  accom- 
modations behind  the  scenes,  as  to  require  the  removal  of  the 
more  cumbrous  decorations  to  a  distance,  whenever  the  pro- 
duction of  a  novelty  increased  the  usual  supply.  The  ma- 
chinery and  the  mise  en  sc^ne  were,  nevertheless,  quite  modern 
and  artistic,  on  the  whole,  so  that  little  was  left  to  be  desired, 
in  those  particulars,  by  such  as  were  content  to  enjoy  the 
"legitimate"  department. 

What  has  been  said  in  regard  to  the  oratory  of  the  Spaniards, 
applies  with  equal  force  to  the  elocution  of  their  stage.  There 
is,  among  the  best  of  their  tragic  artists,  what  strikes  as  exag- 
geration one  who  is  accustomed  to  our  standards.  It  is  not 
the  depth  of  their  passion,  nor  indeed  its  violence,  but  rather  its 
vivacity,  that  produces  this  impression.  They  have  a  quickness 
and  restlessness  of  manner  which  seems  at  war  with  dignity. 
There  is  too  much  gesticulation, — too  little  repose, — an  inces- 
sant twinkle,  which  takes  the  place  of  both  blaze  and  heat.  As 
the  kings  at  some  of  our  theatres  insist  upon  wearing  their 
crowns  and  robes  of  state  in  the  street  and  on  the  battle-field 
as  well  as  in  their  bed-chambers,  lest  they  be  mistaken  for 
common  people, — so  the  Spanish  tragedians  seem  to  think 
that  a  hero  or  heroine  must  say  and  do  every  thing  after  a 
peculiar  fashion, — if  not  a  heroic  one.     Instead  of  holding 


198  SPAIN. 

the  mirror  up  to  nature,  they  are  constantly  and  majestically 
watching  their  own  looking-glasses.  This  criticism,  I  am  aware, 
may  possibly  be  open  to  the  reply  which  I  have  admitted  may 
be  made  to  my  observations  on  the  kindred  subject.  Yet  I  do 
not  think  it  is  fairly  so.  I  am  the  better  satisfied  that  it  is  not 
the  result  of  prejudice,  or  of  my  habituation  to  a  different 
style,  from  the  fact  that  I  do  not  think  it  possible  for  a 
Spaniard  to  have  enjoyed,  with  a  keener  relish  than  I  did,  the 
excellent  comic  acting,  and  the  admirable  representations  of 
daily  life,  which  were  so  frequent  upon  the  Madrid  stage. 

Romea,  who  generally  filled  the  best  tragic  parts,  is  less 
obnoxious  to  the  remarks  just  made,  than  any  actor  of  his 
nation  that  I  have  seen.  If,  on  the  contrary,  he  has  a  leading 
defect,  it  is  that  he  is  too  cold, — that  he  has  chastened  his  style 
into  tameness.  The  features  of  the  tragic  mask  will  not  bear 
too  much  rounding,  and  from  forgetting  this  he  has  made  them 
sometimes  inexpressive,  when  seen  from  a  spectator's  distance. 
It  is  a  fault,  however,  which  springs,  in  him,  from  the  tastes 
and  scruples  of  a  scholar,  and  is  in  a  great  degree  relieved  by 
a  thorough  comprehension  of  his  parts,  and  a  nice  and  graceful 
observance  of  all  the  proprieties  and  probabilities  of  his  art. 
He  has  a  good  voice  and  great  command  of  it,  an  admirable 
articulation,  and  exceeding  skill  in  the  appropriate  adornment 
of  a  striking  person. 

The  wife  of  Romea,  better  known  as  Matilde  Diaz,  is  re- 
garded as  the  best  tragic  actress  in  the  kingdom,  and  has 
unbounded  popularity  in  Madrid.  An  unfortunate  tendency 
to  embonpoint  has  made  her  figure  emphatically  what  Byron 
hated,  and  ha8  of  course  greatly  impaired  the  spirituality 
which  first  gave  reputation  to  her  acting.     She  redeems  this 


SPAIN.  109 

misfortune,  however,  by  a  sweet,  expressive  face,  a  melodious 
voice,  and  a  great  deal  of  tragic  feeling  and  poetical  apprecia- 
tion. Her  recitation  of  her  noble  native  lanfriiacje  is,  at 
times,  the  perfection  of  spoken  music,  and  her  tender  passages 
would  indeed  be  perfect,  altogether,  were  it  not  that,  with 
Rosalind,  she  sometimes  "will  weep  for  nothing,  like  Diana  in 
the  fountain."  Whether  Matilde  has  made  this  excess  of  sweet 
sorrow  the  fashion,  I  do  not  know;  but  it  is  the  fashion, — and 
her  rival,  Lamadrid,  who  likewise  has  a  good  deal  of  tragic 
power,  carries  it  to  the  extreme  of  the  pocket-handkerchief 
style,  which  makes  the  griefs  of  Mrs.  Haller  so  affecting. 

Breton  de  los  Herreros  is  the  most  popular  dramatic  author 
of  the  day  in  Spain, — perhaps  the  only  writer  in  the  annals 
of  the  drama,  anywhere,  who  has  ever  received  the  enthusi- 
astic compliment  of  having  a  whole  play  encored.  Though 
his  fertility  is  quite  equal  to  his  skill,  there  was  nothing  new 
from  him  during  my  visit.  His  latest  comedy  then,  called 
Quien  es  Ella?  "Who  is  she?" — had  appeared  in  1849,  and 
was  occasionally  performed,  though  without  producing  any 
great  sensation.  It  was  an  attempt  to  introduce  upon  the 
stage  the  celebrated  writer,  Don  Francisco  de  Quevedo  y 
Villegas,  one  of  the  first  names  in  Spanish  literature.  To 
make  an  effective  character,  in  a  work  of  fiction,  out  of  a 
literary  man,  is  for  obvious  reasons  no  very  easy  task  under 
any  circumstances ;  and  although  Quevedo's  connection  with 
public  affairs  gives  some  interest  of  a  dramatic  nature  to  his 
history,  it  is  as  a  wit,  an  epigrammatist,  a  satirist,  a  poet  of  a 
bold  and  lofty  genius,  that  he  dwells  chiefly  in  the  remem- 
brance of  his  countrymen.  With  the  exception  of  Cervantes, 
there  is  probably  no  writer  whose  sayings  are  as  frequently 


200  SPAIN. 

upon  the  lips  of  the  people,  and  not  even  Cervantes  has 
ascribed  to  him  one  tithe  of  the  unwritten  sayings  which  are 
handed  down  by  tradition  as  Quevedo's.  Like  Swift,  whom 
he  resembles  in  some  particulars, — and  those  not  always  the 
most  creditable  to  either, — he  is  as  thoroughly  individualized 
by  these  sayings  as  man  can  be.  While,  therefore,  it  was  easy 
enough  for  so  facile  a  poet  and  clever  an  artist  as  Breton  to 
catch  the  salient  points  of  so  striking  a  character  and  mind 
and  manner,  it  was  not  so  easy  to  fill  the  public  idea  of  so  re- 
nowned a  man, — to  make  that  out  of  him  which  every  one 
knew  him  to  have  been,  and  desired  to  see  reproduced.  With 
a  great  deal  of  merit,  therefore,  Quien  es  Ellaf  fell  short  of 
its  purpose,  and  took  but  little  hold  of  the  public  mind  as  a 
play, — though  it  very  deservedly  added  to  its  author's  repu- 
tation as  a  poet  and  scholar.  If  Breton  had  taken  the  same 
view  of  his  own  capacity  which  the  critics  seem  to  have 
adopted,  he  would  probably  not  have  undertaken  a  work  of 
the  sort.  His  plays  are  considered  attractive,  more  from  the 
grace  and  sprightliness  of  the  dialogue,  and  their  abounding 
wit,  than  from  their  delineation  of  character  or  interest  of 
plot.  Indeed,  his  pieces  in  one  act  are,  I  believe,  the  most 
popular ;  and  that  he  is  called  the  Scribe  of  Spain  is  some 
proof  of  the  general  opinion,  that  the  loftier  walks  of  the 
drama  are  not  those  which  he  treads  most  successfully.  That 
he  has  published  some  sixty  plays,  entitles  him,  however,  to  a 
little  consideration  for  the  faults 

"  Quas  aut  incuria  fudit, 
Aut  humana  parum  cavit  natura." 

The  triumph  of  the  season   was  the  drama  of  Isabel  la 
Catolica,  whose  author,  Don  Tomas  Rodriguez  Rubl,  a  young 


SPAIN.  201 

poet  from  Malaga,  had  already  won  for  himself  a  brilliant 
reputation.     It   was   received    with    enthusiasm,  night  after 
night,  by  crowded  houses,  although  the  length  of  the  perform- 
ance, which  lasted  nearly  five  hours,  might  well  have  excused 
a  more  temperate  display  of  admiration.     The  author   was 
called  out,  as  is  the  Spanish  custom,  to  receive  wreaths  and 
bravos,  and  even  the  Queen  did  him  the  honor  to  make  one  of 
his  audience.     The  play,  as  its  title  indicates,  is  founded  on 
the  eventful  history  of  the  Catholic   Sovereigns, — a  theme 
which  the  learning  and  genius  of  Prescott  give  us  a  right  to 
be  proud  of,  as  in  some  degree  our  own.     It  seems  to  have 
been  the  object  of  Rubl  to  present  a  succession  of  striking 
historical  pictures,  rather  than  to  construct  a  regular  drama. 
The  plot — if  indeed  there  be  a  definite,  pervading  thread  to  the 
story — is  at  the  best  a  rambling  one,  and  the  incidents  are, 
certainly,  quite  treasonable  to  historic  truth.     Ferdinand,  bad 
and  morose,  is  thrown  entirely  into  the  shade,  as  king  if  not 
as  husband,  and  Isabella  is  made  the  magnanimous  victim  of 
a  tender  and  reciprocated,  though  innocent,  passion  for  the 
Great  Captain,  Gonzalo  de  C6rdova.     Gonzalo  is  painted  as  a 
showy  and  sentimental  hero  of  romance,  and  Columbus,  who 
of  course  appears,  is  made  to  say  and  do  many  things,  philoso- 
phical and  geographical  as  well  as  personal,  which  would  have 
astonished  him  quite  as  much  as  his  predictions  mystified  the 
doctors  of  theology. 

There  is,  of  course,  no  particular  reason  why  a  dramatist 
should  be  held  to  strict  account  for  the  accuracy  of  all  the 
situations  in  which  it  may  please  him  to  depict  historical  per- 
sonages ;  nor  do  1  conceive  that  he  is  under  any  obligation,  as 
a  matter  of  conscience,  to  cling  to  the  authentic  chronicles,  as 
26 


202  SPAIN. 

Mr.  Bisset  has  stuck  to  the  Annual  Register.     There  are  cer- 
tain limits,  however,  beyond  which  a  popular  writer  cannot 
go,   without  doing   some   harm, — certain    landmarks   which 
ought,  by  all  means,  to  be  left  standing.     It  might  be  proved, 
at  this  day,  beyond  the  peradventure  of  Archbishop  Whately's 
most  impregnable  logic,  that  Richard  the  Third  of  England 
was  as  erect  in  stature  as  the  herald  Mercury,  and  as  good  a 
king;  as  Hamlet's  father.     Yet  all  the  historical  societies  in 
Christendom  could  not  make  him  otherwise  than  crook-back 
and  tyrant,  as  long  as  Shakespeare  should  continue  to  be  read 
and  listened  to.     Many  good  people,  I  am  sure,  have  died, 
entertaining  impressions,  as  matters  of  faith,  which  they  sup- 
posed they  had  derived  from  the  Scriptures,  and  so  would  have 
fought  for,  but  which  had  no  better  (and  happily  no  worse) 
origin  than  Milton's  Paradise  Lost.     Where  a  play,  or  any 
work  of  fiction,  is  sufficiently  meritorious  to  become  a  perma- 
nent part  of  the  national  literature,  and  is  founded  on  an  inter- 
esting and  important  passage  of  the  national  life,  it  is  the  bet- 
ter rule,  certainly,  to  take  as  few  liberties  as  may  be  with  the 
main  historical  fabric,  and  at  all  events  not  to  turn  the  whole 
matter  upside  down.     The  history  of  which  posterity  has  the 
luck  to  get  possession  is,  at  the  best,  but  a  skeleton,  and  a  poet 
has  quite  scope  enough  for  his  fancy  and  imagination,  in  cloth- 
ing it  with  flesh  and  raiment  and  giving  it  the  speech  and 
motion  of  a  living  creature.     There  are  so  many  things  of 
which  the  story  has  been  left  untold,  and  may,  therefore,  be 
told  as  one  pleases,  that  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  pervert  the 
few  which  have  been   faithfully  handed   down.     If  a  man 
wishes  to  make  his  characters  pure  fictions,  there  is  no  need  of 
his  giving  them  historical  names.     If,  on  the  other  hand,  he 


SPAIN.  203 

professes  to  write  a  historical  drama,  he  ought  to  have  some- 
thing of  history  in  it,  besides  the  names  and  the  pictures.     It 
was  a  very  classical  thing  in  Canova,  no  doubt,  to  model  a  sta- 
tue of  Napoleon,  naked,  with  a  globe  and  Victory  in  his  right 
hand, — for  Napoleon  was  a  man  and  a  conqueror,  and  the 
Romans  commemorated  such  after  that  fashion.     But  it  was 
a  poor  invention  indeed,  and  a  scanty  genius,  (with  deference 
be  it  said,)  which  could  make  nothing  newer  or  better  than  a 
disrobed  Roman  Emperor  out  of  Bonaparte  and  the  epics  of 
which  he  was  the  hero  !     Why  call  the  marble  by  the  Corsi- 
can's  name,  when,  but  for  the  face,  it  might  have  answered  as 
well  for  Titus  or  Augustus  ?     The  angels  in  periwigs,  at  the 
Caridad  of  Seville,  may  be  in  worse  taste,  but  are  not  a  whit 
less  characteristic  or  significant. 

But  whatever  may  be  the  critical  objections  to  Isabel  la 
Catolica,  as  a  specimen  of  dramatic  art,  it  certainly  has  very 
high  merit  as  a  poem,  and  is  full  of  fine  and  striking  situations. 
Its  effect  was,  of  course,  greatly  assisted  by  the  scenic  accom- 
paniments and  the  gorgeous  pageantry  for  which  the  subject 
gave  such  scope.  But  this  was  by  no  means  all.  The  versi- 
fication is  stately  and  heroic ;  the  poetry,  excellent  throughout, 
is,  in  many  passages,  of  a  high  order ;  and  the  tone  and  spirit 
of  the  whole  work  are  lofty  and  thoughtful.  The  author,  as 
I  have  said,  was  praised  and  garlanded.  It  will  hardly  be 
believed  that  this  must  have  been  done  by  the  special  permis- 
sion of  the  Jefe  PoIUico,  who,  but  a  day  or  two  before,  had 
published  a  long  edict,  of  which  the  following  was  an  article : — 
"Sixth.  It  shall  likewise  be  necessary  to  obtain,  before- 
hand, permission  to  throw  verses,  crowns,  or  flowers  upon  the 
stage  in  honor  of  an  artist ;  it  being  absolutely  forbidden  to 


204  SPAIN. 

throw  any  other  thing  expressive  of  satisfaction  or  censure, 
and  likewise  for  the  audience  to  address  words  or  signs  to  the 
actors,  as  well  as  for  the  actors  to  direct  such  to  the  audience." 

The  name  of  the  liberal  and  enlightened  functionary  who 
waged  such  war  upon  the  consecrated  prerogatives  of  the  pit 
was  Don  Jose  Zaragoza  ! 

But  the  good  fortune  of  Rubi  was  not  confined  to  the  re- 
laxation, in  his  favor,  of  the  Jefe  Politico's  theatrical  discipline. 
He  received  a  substantial  remuneration  for  his  labors,  which 
spoke  as  well  for  the  public  taste  as  for  the  liberality  of  the 
law  regarding  literary  property.  The  existing  statutes  on  this 
latter  point  prohibit  the  performance  of  any  play  without  the 
author's  consent,  and  give  the  copyright  to  him  during  his 
life,  with  remainder  to  his  heirs  or  assigns  for  twenty-five 
years.  During  all  this  time  he  and  they  have  the  right  to 
exact  from  the  managers  of  all  theatres  where  the  play  may  be 
performed  a  certain  percentage  on  the  receipts,  and  to  occupy 
or  have  the  control  of  a  certain  number  of  places.  Ten  per 
cent,  is  the  rate  allowed,  where  the  play  has  three  acts  or  more, 
and  three  per  cent.,  where  there  are  but  one  or  two  acts  ;  but 
these  rates  are  doubled  on  the  first  three  nights  of  performance. 
From  this  source,  a  free  benefit,  and  the  printing  of  the  work, 
Rubi  had  realized,  after  the  first  fourteen  nights,  the  sum  of 
thirty-six  thousand  reals,  or  eighteen  hundred  dollars.  As 
the  author  of  the  best  work  performed  during  the  dramatic 
year,  he  received,  according  to  law,  the  premium  of  five  hun- 
dred dollars.  In  addition  to  this  and  to  the  emoluments 
which  were  likely  to  follow  from  future  performances,  there 
was  settled  on  him,  by  the  Commissary  of  the  Crusade,  a 
yearly  pension  of  four  hundred  dollars.     The  fund  on  which 


SPAIN.  205 

the  pension  was  fixed  proceeds  from  the  sale  of  dispensations, 
which  relieve  the  purchasers  from  the  necessity  of  complying 
with  some  of  the  minor  requisitions  of  church  discipline.  The 
Commissary-General  was  of  opinion  that  the  play  had  con- 
tributed, by  the  elevation  of  its  tone,  to  the  advancement  of 
the  cause  of  religion,  and  determined  to  reward  it  accordingly. 
May  the  race  of  such  Commissaries  never  become  extinct ! 

I  give  these  facts,  as  they  appeared  in  the  newspapers  at  the 
time,  supposing  that  they  will  be  of  interest  to  the  reader,  as 
showing  the  public  feeling  towards  literature  and  the  respect- 
able inducements  which  are  held  out  for  its  cultivation,  at 
least  in  one  department.  So  far  as  such  happy  results  are  due 
to  the  laws,  the  Count  of  San  Luis  is  entitled  to  the  credit  of 
having  produced  them.  They  do  honor  to  his  intelligence 
and  taste.  If  he  had  been  as  familiar  with  Hamlet  as  he  is 
with  the  dramatic  poetry  of  his  own  country,  he  could  not 
have  more  certainly  provided  against  that  "ill  report"  of  the 
players,  in  his  lifetime,  than  which  even  "  a  bad  epitaph  "  is 
better. 


XX. 


LlTERATUBE. — BoOKS,  BoOKSELIiERS,  AND  BoOK-StALLS. — BoOK-HuNTING 

IN  Madrid. — Foblishers. — Standard  Works. — Historical  and 
Geographicaii  Dictionary  of  Madoz. — Cheap  Publications. — 
Mr.  Ticknor's  History  of  Spanish  Literature. — Its  Character 
AND  Translation. — Gayangos. — Vedia, 

WERE  I  called  upon  to  choose  between  two  cant  words, 
I  should  say,  that,  so  far  as  Madrid  afforded  a  criterion 
and  a  stranger  could  judge,  there  was  more  "movement"  than 
"progress"  in  literature,  at  the  time  of  my  visit  to  Spain.  A 
good  many  works,  original  and  translated,  were  issuing  from 
the  press,  and  there  seemed  to  be  a  fair  demand  for  them  and 
a  general  disposition  to  read  them ;  but  there  was  not  one 
really  good  bookstore  in  the  whole  city,  and  scarcely  a  pub- 
lishing house  of  any  enterprise  or  liberality.  Besides  this,  and 
notwithstanding  the  generally  creditable  style  of  the  newspa- 
pers, and  their  obvious  disposition  to  cater  for  a  certain  degree 
of  literary  taste  among  their  readers,  there  was  not  in  Madrid 
a  review,  or  magazine,  or  any  literary  periodical  worthy  of 
notice. 

It  is  not  easy  to  imagine  any  thing  much  drearier  than  a 

book-hunt  in  the  Spanish  capital.    The  established  bookstores 

are,  in  general,  mere  shops,  very  few  of  which  are  supplied 

with  catalogues  ;  the  most  of  them  being  unprovided,  likewise, 

206 


SPAIN.  207 

in  the  absence  of  the  master,  with  any  one  wlio  has  even  a 
speculative  idea  as  to  what  the  shelves  contain.     You  present 
yourself  at  the  counter,  in  the  rear  of  which  lie  the  treasures. 
The  proprietor  is  not  at  home.     "  Ha  ido  d  la  calk" — "  He 
has  gone  into  the  street."     His  representative  looks  around 
after  you  have  made  your  inquiry,  shakes  his  head  slowly,  and 
answers,  "  Creo  que  no  !  " — "  I  believe  not ! "     It  is  not  worth 
while  to  appeal  from  his  judgment.    Your  doubts  will  convert 
his  belief  into  a  certainty,  and  you  thus  take  your  leave  with 
the  most  abiding  conviction,  that  the  gentleman  who  has  given 
you  your  answer  has  made  it  take  the  negative  form,  for  no 
earthlv  reason  but  to  save  himself  the  trouble  of  a  search. 
This  is  the  style  in  the  principal  bookstores  on  the  main  streets. 
It,  however,  fell  within  the  range  of  my  duties  to  procure,  if 
possible,  certain  works  which  were  somewhat  rare,  and  I  was 
compelled,  in  pursuit  of  them,  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  most 
of  the  depositories  of  old  and  second-hand   works.     As  a 
general  rule,  the  proprietors  of  these  establishments  have  not 
the  remotest  idea  of  the  character  or  value  of  the  books  which 
belong  to  them.     They  buy  them,  often,  by  the  arroba,  like 
old  iron,  or  rags,  or  paper,  and  arrive,  as  well  as  they  can,  at 
the  prices  that  should  be  asked  for  them,  by  a  series  of  in- 
genious experiments  upon  those  who  desire  to  purchase.     If 
they  happen,  once  in  their  lives,  to  have  had  a  casual  high  bid, 
which  they  have  refused  in  hope  of  a  higher,  neither  time  nor 
tide  will  ever  induce  them  to  sell  the  book  in  question  for  any 
thing  less, — though  it  rot  in  waiting  for  a  customer.     The 
theory  of  moderate  profits  and  speedy  sales  forms  no  part  of 
their  political  economy.     If  a  stranger  presents  himself,  the 
standard  rises.     He  is  presumed  not  to  inquire  for  any  thing 


208  SPAIN. 

but  what  he  wants,  and  to  be  able  and  willing  to  pay  for  what 
suits  him.  Should  he  be  so  unfortunate  as  to  look  twice  at  the 
same  book,  he  must  give  up  all  hope  of  obtaining  it,  except  on 
the  owner's  terms.  The  matter  is  resolved  into  a  question  of 
endurance  in  the  bookseller's  mind,  and  he  regards  it  as  settled 
that  he  will  secure  his  price,  if  he  can  keep  his  patience. 
Being  a  Spaniard,  he  is  quite  equal  to  that. 

A  foreigner  is  not  only  troubled  thus,  himself,  but  becomes 
a  cause  of  trouble  to  others.  The  unhappy  book-fancier  who 
follows  in  his  wake  is  sure  to  find  the  market  with  an  "  up- 
ward tendency,"  and  to  learn,  by  way  of  justification,  that  a 
caballero  ingles  was  there  the  day  before,  and  was  willing  to 
give  greatly  more  than  the  price  demanded.  Having  myself, 
on  several  occasions,  not  far  apart,  discovered  at  one  of  these 
establishments  certain  works,  which  I  had  been  long  looking 
for  and  was  anxious  to  obtain, —  and  having  very  cheerfully 
paid  for  them  what  the  seller  regarded  as  a  high  price,  though, 
in  view  of  my  objects,  it  was  very  little, — I  was  amused  at 
hearing,  from  a  friend  who  frequented  the  same  stall,  that  books 
on  the  subject  to  which  mine  related  had  of  late  become  very 
valuable,  as  there  was  a  young  Englishman  in  town,  who  would 
buy  them  at  any  price. 

By  far  the  greater  part  of  the  book-stalls,  where  curious 
books  are  to  be  found,  are  in  the  open  air.  Sometimes  they 
are  arranged  on  shelves  around  a  court,  or  on  one  side  of  a 
plaza,  or  against  a  church,  or  in  some  entry  or  open  passage. 
Now  and  then  they  occupy  the  ground-floor  of  a  house  in  some 
by-street, — the  apartments  which  contain  them  being  only  light- 
ed through  the  doors,  which  are  of  course  left  always  open. 
In  the  latter  case,  you  will  find  the  proprietor,  in  the  winter 


SPAIN.  209 

season,  with  cloak  and  hat  on,  sitting  over  his  hrasei'o,  half 
torpid  with  cold.  He  will  give  you  good  day  when  you  enter, 
and  perhaps  go  through  the  form  of  removing  the  ashes  from 
his  coals  ;  but  he  will  rarely  afford  any  other  evidence  that  he 
is  aware  of  your  existence,  unless  you  ask  him  a  question. 
You  will  soon  find,  in  most  cases,  that  the  best  way  of  ascer- 
taining what  you  desire  to  know  is  to  examine  for  yourself, 
and  you  will  accordingly  prosecute  your  inspection,  until  your 
blood  and  curiosity  fall  below  the  freezing  point.  You  will 
then  bid  him  "Remain  with  God  !"  and  he  will  tell  you,  in 
reply,  to  "Go  with  God  !"  so  that  you  and  your  errand  will 
be  to  him,  when  you  depart,  the  mystery  you  were  when  you 
entered. 

When  the  stall  is  entirely  open  to  the  weather,  the  owner 
sometimes  has  a  sort  of  small  sentry-box,  to  hold  himself  and 
his  brasero  with  the  most  valuable  of  his  properties, — some- 
times he  keeps  watch  and  Avard  from  the  window  of  his  lodg- 
ings, near  the  roof  of  an  opposite  tenement, — sometimes  he 
walks  up  and  down,  muy  embozado,  in  his  cloak.  It  is  a  rare 
thing  for  him  to  manifest  any  more  interest  in  your  proceed- 
ings, than  a  sentinel  at  the  door  of  a  picture-gallery.  If  you 
keep  the  peace,  and  neither  damage  nor  steal  any  thing,  he  does 
not  appear  to  think  that  he  has  any  concern  with  you.  I  con- 
fess that,  on  the  whole,  I  was  not  displeased  at  being  thus  left 
entirely  to  myself.  The  modern  system  of  salesmanship  has 
become  so  much  like  persecution  reduced  to  a  science,  that  it  is 
quite  a  luxury  to  be  allowed  the  use  of  your  own  discretion, 
without  being  dragooned,  by  a  shopkeeper's  deputy,  into  look- 
ing at  what  you  do  not  care  to  see,  or  buying  what  you  would  not 
have.  A  man  in  his  sane  mind,  with  the  usual  organs  of  speech, 
27 


210  SPAIN. 

has  a  right  to  be  treated  as  if  he  knows  what  he  wants  and  is 
able  to  ask  for  it.  At  the  same  time,  I  am  willing  to  admit, 
that,  when  he  does  make  a  demand  for  information,  he  is  en- 
titled to  receive  it  in  a  somewhat  more  explicit  and  reliable 
shape  than  the  mass  of  a  Madrid  librero's  explanations. 

It  is  not  very  likely  that  a  mode  of  bookselling,  so  far 
behind  the  locomotive  style  of  traffic  which  the  century  has 
brought  forth,  will  long  continue,  even  in  the  lonely  by-places 
and  chilly  courts  of  Madrid.  An  intelligent  Catalan,  at  the 
time  of  my  visit,  had  already  established  a  shop  on  the  Calle 
de  Alcala,  near  the  Prado,  where  he  purchased  second-hand 
books  of  all  sorts,  to  sell,  not  to  keep.  He  advertised,  every 
morning,  his  principal  acquisitions  of  the  day  before,  with 
the  prices,  usually  moderate,  at  which  he  was  prepared  to 
dispose  of  them.  The  result  was,  that  it  was  necessary  to  be 
early  on  the  ground,  if  you  desired  to  secure  your  bargains. 
Books  of  rarity  and  value  were  constantly  passing  through  his 
hands,  and  I  am  sure  that  he  sold,  in  a  mouth,  more  than  a 
year's  trade  of  all  his  cloak-wearing  competitors  put  together. 
His  advantage  consisted  in  knowing  something  about  his  books 
and  his  business,  and  in  being  willing  to  put  up  with  a  small 
advance,  for  the  sake  of  turning  over  his  capital.  Time  was, 
when  even  Spaniards  themselves  were  compelled  to  send  to 
London  in  search  of  Spanish  books  which  were  really  scarce. 
The  agents  of  the  London  trade  were  always  on  the  alert  in 
the  Spanish  cities,  and  if  any  thing  worth  having  found  its 
way  to  the  stalls, — as,  in  the  changes  of  those  days,  was  con- 
stantly happening, — they  had  every  chance  to  capture  it,  before 
ordinary  purchasers  could  know  any  thing  about  it.  The 
Catalan  of  the  AlcaU  will  put  a  stop  to  this,  if  he  has  not 


SPAIN. 


211 


done  so  already.  His  constant  demand  must  afford  him  the 
control  of  the  market,  and  the  publication  of  his  lists  will 
give  the  race  to  the  swiftest.  The  example  he  has  set,  of 
intelligence  and  enterprise,  cannot  fail,  by  its  success,  to  open 
the  eyes  of  the  booksellers  proper,  and  perhaps  stir  them  from 
their  ancient  stagnation.  Before  I  left  the  city,  it  had  begun 
to  teach  them  lessons  in  the  philosophy  of  advertising,  and 
there  was  an  almost  daily  increase  in  the  number  and  extent 
of  the  notices  of  book-sales  which  headed  the  columns  of  the 
Diario  de  Avisos. 

It  is  not  to  be  inferred  from  the  unpromising  picture  thus 
drawn,  that  the  press  of  Madrid  was  altogether  idle,  or  the 
hunter  of  books  entirely  without  resources.     The  best  French 
works,  standard  and  ephemeral,  together  with  Baudry's  repub- 
lications from  the  English,  and  a  fair  collection  of  Spanish 
books,  could  be  found  at  Monier's  on  the  Carrera  de  San 
Gerdnimo.     It  may  be  interesting  to  the  reader  to  know  that 
the  oily  old  man,  with  a  pen  in  his  mouth,  who  does  the  chief 
honors  of  that  place,  is  the  proprietor  of  the  night-capped 
head  and  the  "  torso  adorned  with  a  shirt,"  which  were  thrust 
out  a  window  to  welcome  M.  Dumas  to  Madrid,  on  the  morn- 
ing when  the  illustrious  Alexandre  found  himself  in  a  strange 
court,  where  two  women  and  five  cats  were  sitting  round  a 
brasei-o  !     There  were  two  or  three  shops,  besides,  on  the  Calle 
de  Carretas,  not  far  from  the  Puerta  del  Sol,  where  the  best 
Spanish  standard  works,  and  occasionally  some  new  publica- 
tions, were  sold,  with  great  dignity  and  severity,  at  the  most 
inflexibly  high  prices.     It  was  next  to  impossible,  however, 
so  far  as  modern  books  were  concerned,  to  find  a  copy  of  any 
publication  for  sale,  except  at  the  shop  of  the  publisher.     Get- 


212  SPAIN. 

ting  out  a  work,  of  any  size  or  character,  was  considered  as 
forming  quite  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  house,  and  for 
the  pride  of  the  thing, — as  well  perhaps  as  for  the  sake  of 
realizing  all  the  profits  of  a  limited  market, — every  man 
seemed  disposed  to  monopolize  the  control  of  his  own  handi- 
work. 

The  publishing  establishment  of  "  La  Publiddad/'  on  the 
Calle  de  Correos,  was  probably  the  most  extensive  in  Madrid. 
It  certainly  gave  greater  evidences  of  vitality  than  any  other, 
in  the  number  and  style  of  its  issues,  as  well  as  their  literary 
caste.  Two  series,  which  were  well  advanced  in  1850,  were 
sufficient  to  give  character  to  the  concern.  These  were  a 
republication  of  the  best  standard  writers,  from  the  formation 
of  the  language  to  the  present  day, — and  another,  of  the 
Codigos  Espanoles, — the  main  body  of  Spanish  written  law. 
Of  the  first-named  series,  nineteen  or  twenty  octavo  volumes, 
out  of  the  forty-five  in  preparation,  have  already  appeared,  and 
the  first  edition  of  several  of  the  works  had  been  absorbed  so 
speedily,  that  a  second  was  about  to  be  issued  while  I  was  in 
Spain.  The  reprint  of  the  Codigos  was  far  advanced,  and  the 
volumes  which  had  been  printed  were  edited  with  learning  and 
care,  under  the  direction  of  the  most  distinguished  jurists  and 
legal  antiquaries  of  Madrid.  The  Count  of  San  Luis,  with 
his  usual  solicitude  for  the  advancement  of  letters, — when 
they  did  not  interfere  with  "  order,"  or  meddle  with  ministers, 
or  their  doings  or  places, — gave  the  Codigos  the  full  encourage- 
ment and  support  of  his  Department.  He  issued  an  order, 
directing  all  the  municipalities  representing  two  hundred 
householders  or  more  to  subscribe  to  the  work,  and  credit 
themselves  for  the  subscription  on  their  tax  accounts.    All  the 


SPAIN.  213 

employes,  "  active  and  passive,"  of  the  government,  pensioners 
as  well  as  office-holders,  were  authorized,  by  royal  order,  to 
have  their  subscriptions  paid,  if  they  should  choose  to  make 
them,  out  of  the  arrears  of  their  pensions  and  salaries.  After 
reading  the  sad  though  humorous  and  graceful  descriptions  of 
the  '^  cesantes"  and  the  '^  clases  pasivas"  by  Gil  y  Zdrate,  one 
hardly  knows  whether  to  smile  or  sigh  over  the  fate  of  the 
poor  people  to  whom  the  royal  order  was  so  gracious.  After 
living  or  starving  on  promises  and  hope,  they  must  have  found 
great  consolation,  in  the  absence  of  food  and  fire,  from  being 
permitted  to  refresh  themselves,  out  of  their  unpaid  pittances, 
with  quarto  copies  of  the  laws  of  the  Visigoths  !  The  learned 
jurisconsults  of  the  Middle  Ages  should  certainly  not  be 
offended  at  finding  themselves  gathered  together  in  the  pawn- 
brokers' shops,  like  Bible-Society  bibles  on  the  gin-counters  in 
London  ! 

The  same  sort  of  encouragement  had  been  lent  by  the  gov- 
ernment to  the  eminent  Progresista  Deputy,  Don  Pascual 
Madoz,  in  aid  of  his  publication  which  I  have  already 
mentioned, — the  "  Geographical,  Statistical,  and  Historical 
Dictionary  of  Spain  and  her  Dependencies."  This  is  not  the 
place  for  notices  of  books,  but  the  work  of  Madoz  well  de- 
serves to  be  referred  to,  as  indicating  both  the  existence  and 
encouragement,  in  Spain,  of  a  high  degree  of  literary  energy 
and  spirit.  In  a  country  where  every  facility  existed, — where 
statistical  details  were  regularly  collected  and  made  accessible, 
— where  there  was  constant  intercourse  between  the  various 
districts,  and  where  universal  education  and  an  active  and 
intelligent  press  had  been  long  at  work, — even  there,  it  would 
have  been  no  easy  matter  to  do  justice  to  the  promises  made 


214  SPAIN. 

on  Don  Pascual's  title  page.     With  scarcely  any  of  those  cir- 
cumstances to  aid  him,  he  has  nevertheless  kept  himself  fully 
up  to  the  level  of  his  task.     Fifteen  large  octavo  volumes, 
the  fruit  of  fifteen  active  and  toilsome   years,  had  already 
appeared,  when  I  left  Spain,  and  but  one  more  was  wanting, 
to  complete  the  publication.     As  far  as  it  had  gone,  it  was, 
with  great  propriety,  styled,  by  the  Madrid  journals,  "a 
monumental  work."     There  was  not  a  village  or  a  parish  in 
the  kingdom  omitted.     In  regard  to  all,  the  details  were  as 
copious  as  could  be  desired.     The  historical  notices  were  writ- 
ten with  impartiality  and  fulness, — the  political,  artistic,  and 
antiquarian  dissertations,  with  liberality,  taste,  and  learning. 
Statistical  information  of  the  most  varied  character — collected 
by  the  author  himself,  whose  parliamentary  career  is  notable 
for  his  accuracy  in  such  matters — was  for  the  first  time  given 
to  the  world.     Commercial,  agricultural,  scientific,  and  pro- 
fessional knowledge,  of  a  high  grade,  made  the  Dictionary 
valuable  as  an  authority,  no  less  than  as  a  compendium  for 
common  reference.     The  literary  merit  of  the  whole  was  as 
considerable  as  its  other  recommendations,  and  it  may,  indeed, 
be  doubted  whether  any  other  country  possesses  at  this  day  a 
more  worthy  and  complete  epitome  of  itself.     It  is  the  more 
remarkable,  too,  from  the  fact,  that  in  the  midst  of  duties  so 
multifarious  as  its  preparation  must  have  imposed,  and  princi- 
pally ou  himself   in  person,  the  author  has  been  active  as 
a  politician,  and  prominent  and  useful  as  a  legislator  and 
statesman.     Few  orators  in  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  carried 
more  weight  than  he.     None  had  more  readiness,  more  energy, 
or  a  larger  stock  of  the  manageable  information  which  tells 
in  debate.     He  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  liberal  party,  and 


SPAIN.  215 

had,  as  he  deserved,  its  confidence;  although,  as  he  did  not 
make  a  trade  of  politics,  and  was  not  afraid  to  say  and  do  what 
he  thought  right,  he  was  occasionally  regarded  as  "imprac- 
ticable,"— an  epithet  applied  in  Spain,  as  out  of  it,  to  the 
political  riders  who  will  not  jockey  to  win.  In  fine,  he  was 
one  of  the  best  illustrations  extant  of  the  Catalan  character, — 

"  Impiger,  iracundus,  inexorabilis,  acer," — 

morally,  intellectually,  and  in  action. 

In  the  "Glimpses  of  Spain  "  I  had  occasion  to  remark  that 
the  system  of  cheap  publications,  in  numbers,  had  extended 
itself  to  Spaiu,  and  had  been  the  means,  as  with  us,  of  flooding 
the  country  with  all  manner  of  worthless  and  prurient  trash. 
In  Madrid  this  was  particularly  conspicuous.  The  appetite 
for  all  things  French  which  prevailed  there  caused  the  novels 
from  Paris  to  be  chief  in  demand ;  and  an  activity  of  the  press, 
which  might  have  produced  an  indefinite  diffusion  of  useful 
and  elevating  knowledge  and  have  given  a  permanent  impulse 
to  the  national  literature,  was  wasted  on  translations  of  the 
very  worst  and  most  pernicious  of  the  feuilletons.  During  the 
discussions  in  the  Cortes  upon  the  subject  of  reducing  the 
postage  on  printed  matter,  one  of  the  most  respectable  journals 
took  occasion  to  insist,  that  it  was  the  policy  of  the  government 
to  discourage,  rather  than  to  favor,  the  diflPusion  of  the  publi- 
cations which  the  measure  would  most  affect.  It  was  but  a 
scheme,  the  writer  said,  "to  give  scanty  alms  to  hungry  trans- 
lators,— to  put  a  premium  on  rendering  bad  French  into  worse 
Spanish."  Tiiere  was,  I  think,  a  general  concurrence  of 
opinion  among  the  best-informed  men,  to  the  same  effect.  It 
seemed  to  be  the  impression,  that  as  long  as  the  booksellers 


216  SPAIN. 

could  find  a  ready  market  for  foreign  extravagances  which 
cost  them  nothing,  they  would  continue  to  hold  back  from  the 
literary  labor  of  their  own  country  the  encouragement  for 
which  it  was  suffering  so  much.  The  activity  which  was 
displayed  in  the  circulation  of  the  bane,  seemed  to  have 
stimulated  an  equal  zeal  in  the  preparation  of  the  antidote.  A 
literary  friend  informed  me  that  the  "  Key  to  Paradise  "  was 
perhaps  the  only  book  which  divided  the  suffrages  of  the  trade 
with  the  "  Mysteries  of  Paris." 

When  I  left  Madrid,  the  admirable  "  History  of  Spanish 
Literature,"  by  our  countryman,  Mr.  George  Ticknor,  was  in 
the  hands  of  Don  Pascual  de  Gayangos,  the  celebrated  Arabic 
scholar  and  antiquarian,  and  his  friend  Don  Enrique  Vedia,  a 
gentleman  of  fine  taste  and  accomplishments,  for  translation. 
Although  it  was  impossible  for  any  work  to  have  received 
more  unqualified  commendation,  from  the  whole  body  of 
Spanish  literati,  than  Mr.  Ticknor's  history,  and  although  the 
translators  were  men  of  the  highest  merit  and  reputation,  there 
was  great  difficulty,  nevertheless,  in  finding  a  publisher  with 
sufficient  spirit  to  take  any  liberal  share  in  the  enterprise.  I 
have  since  seen  a  copy  of  the  first  volume,  very  elegantly 
printed,  and  bearing  date  at  Madrid,  but  whether  the  publish- 
ing houses  were  entitled  to  any  of  the  credit  of  its  production  I 
have  not  learned.  Their  unwillingness  to  engage  in  the  ad- 
venture was  a  conspicuous  illustration  of  their  want  of  liberality 
and  taste, — as  well,  perha[)S,  as  of  a  similar  defect  in  the  book- 
buying  public.  There  is,  in  the  Spanish  language,  no  thorough 
history  of  the  national  literature.  The  only  native  work  that 
I  am  acquainted  with,  which  professes  to  give  a  comprehensive 
view  of  the  subject,  at  any  length,  is  the  JResunien  Historico, 


SPAIN.  217 

forming  part  of  the  Manual  de  Literatura,  pul^lished  in  1844 
by  Gil  y  Zdrate,  for  the  instruction  of  youth.  It  was  not,  of 
course,  at  all  within  the  scope  of  such  a  work  to  meet  the 
requisitions  of  an  accurate  scholarship.  Sismondi's  brilliant 
though  superficial  treatise  has  been  translated,  and  was  pub- 
lislied  at  Seville,  some  ten  years  ago,  but  is  not,  I  believe,  to  be 
readily  obtained.  Of  the  translation  of  Bouterwek's  more 
learned  and  profound,  though  still  imperfect  work,  only  a 
single  volume  has  seen  the  light.  This  was  published,  with 
many  valuable  annotations,  in  1829;  an  epoch  at  which  there 
was,  unhap})lly,  but  little  encouragement  in  Spain  for  labors 
of  the  sort.  The  length  of  time  which  elapsed,  since  its  cold 
and  discouraging  reception,  of  course  precludes  all  hope  of  the 
work's  being  completed.  Amador  de  los  Rios,  one  of  its 
editors  and  the  author  of  a  book  of  some  reputation,  on  the 
History  of  the  Jews  in  Spain,  was  said  to  be  engaged  in  1850, 
on  a  work  of  his  own,  upon  the  same  subject.  It  was  generally 
believed,  however,  that  he  was  not  altogether  suited  to  the  task. 
Mr.  Ticknor's  History  is  every  thing  that  could  be  desired, 
to  supply  what  is  thus  felt,  in  Spain,  to  be  a  pressing  literary 
want.  It  is  a  history  of  books,  as  well  as  of  literature.  The 
variety,  completeness,  and  accuracy  of  its  details  were — as  I 
had  occasion  to  know — a  source  of  gratified  surprise  to  the 
most  learned  of  the  Spanish  literary  archaeologists.  The 
acuteness  and  profundity  of  its  criticisms,  and  its  perfect  com- 
prehension and  appreciation  of  the  Spanish  mind  .and  taste 
and  spirit,  were  regarded  by  the  most  eminent  of  the  native 
writers  and  thinkers  as  all  that  a  Spaniard  could  have  been 
able  to  attain,  and  next  to  miraculous  in  a  foreigner.  A  dis- 
tinguished man  of  letters — whose  opinion  would  be  regarded 
28 


218  SPAIN. 

as  oracular  in  Spain,  and  whose  familiar  acquaintance  with 
French  and  English  literature  rendered  the  basis  of  his  judg- 
ment as  broad  as  that  of  almost  any  one — told  me  that  he 
regarded  Mr.  Ticknor's  work  as  "  the  best  history  of  a  litera- 
ture" that  he  had  ever  seen.  With  the  prestige  of  all  this  in 
its  favor, — and  the  security,  besides,  that  any  accidental  error 
or  omission  would  be  certainly  remedied  or  supplied  by  the 
translators, — so  that  the  book  could,  at  once,  pass  from  their 
hands  into  a  standard  authority, — its  publication  was  hindered, 
nevertheless,  by  the  difficulties  to  which  I  have  referred.  That 
it  should  have  appeared,  at  last,  in  spite  of  them,  is  certainly 
creditable  to  the  zeal  and  energy  of  the  editors,  and  bespeaks 
a  confidence  in  the  literary  discernment  of  the  community, 
which  augurs  something  better  for  the  future. 


XXI. 

QuiKTANA— The  Junta.  Central.— Quintana's  Political  and  Liter- 
ary Life  and  Works.— Nicasio  Gallego.— His  Political  Career 
AND  Poems. — Debates  on  the  Inquisition. — Clerical  Liberality. 
—Dos  DE  Mayo.— Martinez  de  la  Rosa.— His  Political  and 
Literary  Life  and  Works.— Est atuto  Real. 

OF  the  eminent  literary  persons  whose  career  began  before 
the  revolutions  of  the  present  century,  and  whose 
works  are  numbered  among  the  classics  of  the  language,  there 
survive  now,  in  Madrid,  but  two,  Don  Manuel  Josef  Quin- 
tana  and  Don  Juan  Nicasio  Gallego.  The  one  a  civilian,  the 
other  a  priest,— both  of  them  poets  and  both  prominent  in 
political  service, — they  have  the  further  bond  of  a  common 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  rational  liberty,  and  of  common  suffer- 
ins:  for  their  efforts  to  establish  and  maintain  it. 

Quintana  was  born  in  1772,  and  educated  at  Salamanca, 
under  the  direction  of  Melendez  Valdez.  He  did  not  devote 
himself  long  or  actively  to  the  profession  of  the  law,  though 
it  continued  to  be  his  nominal  pursuit,  but  soon  became  one  of 
the  little  band  of  men  of  letters  whose  leader— and  in  some 
sort  patron — was  the  wise  and  accomplished  Jovellanos.  Of 
his  first  productions,  which  were  dramatic,  the  tragedy  of 
"Don  Pelavo"  save  him  earliest  distinction.  A  volume  of 
lyric  poetry,  published  about  the  same  time,  full   of  noble 

219 


220  SPAIN. 

inspiration  and  a  burning,  lofty  patriotism,  commended  him 
still  further  to  the  love  and  admiration  of  his  countrymen. 
These  works  were  followed  by  a  volume  of  lives  of  celebrated 
Spaniards,  to  which,  of  later  years,  he  has  added  several 
biographies,  remarkable  for  their  learning,  grace,  and  historic 
impartiality.  In  1808  he  gave  to  the  press  several  volumes 
of  selections  from  Spanish  poetry,  commencing  at  the  days  of 
Juan  de  Mena  and  embracing  the  choicest  productions  of  the 
best  masters,  with  historical  and  critical  annotations.  The 
convulsions  which  followed  the  invasion  of  Napoleon  drove 
Quintana  at  once  into  the  arena  of  active  and  troubled  life. 
The  position  of  Secretary  to  the  Junta  Central,  which  he  was 
called  to  fill,  was  perhaps  the  most  important  civil  station,  at 
that  time,  in  the  public  gift,  and  to  the  ability  with  which 
Quintana  discharged  its  duties,  and  the  eloquence  and  power 
of  the  state  papers  which  came  from  his  hands,  was  attribu- 
table mainly  the  hold  of  the  Junta  upon  public  confidence. 
"  It  was  a  happy  selection  for  that  body,"  says  the  Count  of 
Toreno,  in  his  History.  "  The  public  opinion  of  the  Junta^ 
and  of  its  plans  and  ideas,  was  formed  from  the  masterly 
expositions  of  the  Secretary."  Certainly  no  writer  of  his  day 
was  capable  of  addressing  to  the  people  appeals  so  stirring  as 
those  with  which,  in  poetry  and  prose,  he  kindled  and  sus- 
tained the  national  enthusiasm. 

With  the  downfall  of  the  constitution  in  1814,  felt  the  Cortes 
of  which  Quintana  was  a  conspicuous  member,  and  the  day  of 
tribulation  began  for  him,  as  for  all  the  ablest  and  worthiest  of 
his  countrymen.  He  was  thrown  into  a  cell  in  the  fortress  of 
Pamplona, — cut  off  from  books  and  friends,  and  even  denied 
the  use  of  writing  materials, — until  the  constitutional  reaction 


SPAIN.  221 

of  1820.  Upon  that  revival  of  free  institutions,  he  was  at 
once  elevated  to  the  Directorship  of  Public  Instruction, — an 
office  created  by  the  constitution,  and,  in  the  hands  of  a  states- 
man so  enlightened  and  liberal  as  Quintana,  one  of  the  might- 
iest engines  of  national  regeneration.  The  public  acts  of  those 
days  attest  the  wisdom  and  comprehensiveness  of  his  ideas  and 
administration,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  there  were 
seeds  of  knowledge  and  sound  doctrine  sown  among  the  people, 
during  the  short  reign  of  his  system,  which  have  sprung  up  to 
the  best  fruit  in  more  recent  times.  The  reestablishment  of 
despotism,  in  1823,  of  course  put  an  end  to  Quintana's  public 
labors.  He  was  fortunate  in  being  allowed  to  cultivate  his 
literary  tastes  in  a  quiet  and  distant  province,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1833,  when  the  death  of  Ferdinand  the  Seventh 
recalled  him  to  his  old  duties,  and  threw  on  him  new  honors. 
Created  a  member  of  the  House  of  Proceres  (or  Peers)  under 
the  Estatuto  Real,  he  prepared,  in  1836,  in  conjunction  with 
Gallego  and  others,  a  plan  of  public  instruction,  which  was 
adopted  by  the  government.  In  his  legislative  capacity  he  was 
the  author  of  many  able  reports  upon  important  political  and 
economical  questions,  and  when  the  present  constitutional  sys- 
tem was  finally  adopted,  he  was  made  a  Senator.  During  the 
minority  of  Queen  Isabella,  he  was  intrusted  with  the  direction 
of  her  education,  and  he  is  now  President  of  the  Council  of 
Public  Instruction.  Of  the  distinguished  positions  to  which 
he  has,  from  time  to  time,  been  called,  several  have  been  the 
gift  of  administrations  and  parties  to  which  he  was  opposed, — 
an  honorable  tribute  to  his  ability  and  patriotism,  and  to  the 
consistent  integrity  with  which  he  has  clung  to  the  political  prin- 
ciples of  his  early  manhood.     The  persecutions  and  privations 


222  SPAIN. 

of  a  troubled  life,  and  the  insensible  but  steady  change  which 
is  wrought  in  most  men  by  the  experience  of  years  and  of 
human  affairs,  have  done  little  towards  extinguishing  the  en- 
thusiasm of  the  veteran  Progresista.  While  others — and  many 
of  them  among  the  most  conspicuous  of  the  original  constitu- 
tionalists— have  been  tempted  by  the  love  of  place  or  repose, 
or  driven  by  their  disgust  for  popular  fickleness  and  ingratitude, 
almost  into  the  arms  of  the  system  which  they  once  abhorred, 
he  has  remained  as  he  began.  Too  able  and  too  clear-sighted 
to  have  overlooked  the  follies  of  his  party,  he  has  had  the 
wisdom  to  foresee  and  the  patience  to  await  the  ultimate  tri- 
umph of  the  permanent  over  the  transient. 

If  the  bulk  of  Quintana's  literary  productions  is  less  than 
might  have  been  expected  from  his  long  and  industrious  life, 
it  is  because,  during  the  greater  part  of  it,  he  has  sacrificed 
the  leisure  and  tastes  of  a  scholar  to  the  sterner  duties  of  a 
patriot.  In  the  preface  to  an  edition  of  his  poems,  in  1821, 
he  speaks  of  several  works  which  he  had  already  nearly  com- 
pleted, when  the  war  of  the  Peninsula  broke  out.  "  Since 
then,"  he  says,  "the  duty  of  devoting  myself  to  labors  of  a 
far  different  kind,  the  necessity  of  moving  constantly  from 
place  to  place,  and  the  whirlwind  of  misfortune,  persecution, 
and  imprisonment,  which  has  raged  around  me,  have  scattered 
my  manuscripts,  consumed  the  best  years  of  my  life,  and  set 
my  literary  plans  at  naught.  The  present  circumstances  of 
the  country  render  it  impossible  for  me  to  renew  these  last. 
Other  writers  will  fall  uj)on  calmer  times,  and  doubtless  will 
be  blessed  with  better  fortune."  In  the  edition  of  Quintana's 
works  which  has  recently  been  published  as  a  part  of  the  series 
of  standard  authors  referred  to  in  the  last  chapter,  there 


SPAIN.  223 

appear,  for  the  first  time,  a  number  of  letters  addrassed  by  him 
to  Lord  Holland,  in  1823  and  1824,  and  containing  a  history 
of  the  curious  and  important  political  events  of  that  day. 
Additional  value  is  given  to  them  by  a  striking  analysis  of 
the  political  history  of  Spain,  from  the  reign  of  Charles  the 
Third  down  to  the  period  at  which  the  letters  were  written. 
Upon  this  subject,  and  more  especially  in  reference  to  the 
incidents  which  passed  under  the  author's  personal  observation, 
the  letters  are  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  history  of  the 
century.  The  epoch  is  one  of  which  little  is  truly  known  out 
of  Spain,  and  in  regard  to  which  but  little  that  is  worth  read- 
ing has  been  written  there.  The  work  of  the  Marquis  of 
Miraflores,  which  is  the  principal  source  of  information,  is 
executed  in  the  most  partial  and  illiberal  spirit,  as  if  its 
author  had  but  one  idea  in  producing  it, — that  of  recanting 
and  atoning  for  all  his  previous  enthusiasm  in  behalf  of  liberal 
and  rational  ideas. 

In  passing  to  and  from  my  a})artments  in  the  House  of  Cor- 
dero,  on  the  Calle  de  Pontejos,  I  had  often  given  place  upon 
the  stairs  to  a  venerable  gentleman,  apparently  in  robust  health, 
of  fine  stature,  and  full  of  energy  and  vigor.  The  habit — 
soon  acquired  abroad,  if  it  be  not  natural — of  meddling  but 
little  with  other  people  and  their  affairs,  had  prevented  my 
making  any  inquiries  in  regard  to  him,  and  I  had  been  more 
than  a  month  in  the  same  house  with  Sr.  Quintana,  and  hear- 
ing his  footsteps  at  night  in  the  apartments  above  me,  without 
knowing  that  he  was  my  neighbor.  The  happy  accident 
through  which  I  made  the  discovery  was  the  means,  also,  of 
giving  me  the  honor  of  his  acquaintance,  under  favorable  aus- 
pices.    It  was  a  gratification  which  I  should  ill  repay,  were 


224  SPAIN. 

I  to  say  more  than  that  he  is  surrounded  in  his  old  age  by  all 
the  appliances  which  can  make  the  enjoyment  of  a  man  of 
taste,  education,  and  moderate  desires, — the  centre  of  a  circle 
of  quiet  and  cultivated  friends,  whose  regard  is  dearer  to  him 
than  the  public  homage,  and  from  whom  his  learning,  accom- 
plishments, and  virtues  wdn  reverence  as  profound  as  their 
affection.  Few  poets  have  lived  to  realize  such  pleasant  dis- 
appointment as  he, — in  comparing  the  actual  decline  of  his 
life  witli  the  melancholy  anticipations  expressed  in  his  "  Fare- 
well to  Youth."  Few  public  men  have  lived  through  so  many 
storms,  to  see  the  shadows  fall  so  peacefully  on  so  serene  an 
evening. 

Though  but  five  years  the  junior  of  Quintana,  Nicasio  Gal- 
lego  belongs,  in  a  literary  point  of  view,  to  a  later  epoch. 
Scarcely  any  of  his  most  admired  poems  were  given  to  the 
public  until  after  Quintana's  reputation  had  become  national. 
During  the  French  invasion,  he  was  too  busily  occupied  with 

public  affairs  to 

"  meditate  the  thankless  Muse." 

In  the  upheaving  of  all  things  old,  and  the  confusion  of  things 
new  and  old  as  well,  which  made  that  period  remarkable  iu 
Spain,  the  Jimta  Central,  which  had  the  reins  of  the  provi- 
sional government,  was  overwhelmed  with  projects  of  legal  and 
constitutional  reform.  All  the  political  theorists  in  the  land 
had  set  their  heads  and  liands  industriously  to  work,  and  all 
the  subordinate  juntas  and  pragmatical  corporations  sent  in 
their  recipes  for  the  preparation  of  Utopias,  warranted  to  last. 
To  give  to  these  multiform  schemes  the  consideration  to  which 
they  were  entitled,  on  the  score  of  merit  or  policy,  and  to  cull 


SPAIN.  225 

from  among  them  such  as  might  be  worthy  to  be  ingrafted  on 
the  permanent  legislation  of  the  country,  was  of  course  impos- 
sible for  an  administrative  body,  in  the  throbs  and  throes  of  a 
revolution.  A  board  was  accordingly  constituted  for  that 
purpose,  and  Nicasio  Gallego  was  one  of  its  most  prominent 
and  useful  members.  To  the  Cortes  of  1810  he  was  an  active 
and  able  Deputy,  and  distinguished  himself  especially  by  his 
zeal  in  advocating  and  perfecting  the  laws  which  secured  the 
freedom  of  the  press.  His  reported  speech  against  the  propo- 
sition to  establish  a  censorship  is  full  of  large  ideas  and  a 
manly  and  liberal  philosophy.  It  is  the  more  deserving  of 
note,  as  the  production  of  an  ecclesiastic,  controverting  the 
narrower  views  which  were  urged,  in  the  name  of  religion, 
by  others  of  his  class.  Justice,  however,  requires  it  to  be 
said,  in  this  connection,  that  there  was  no  measure  before  the 
Cortes  of  those  days,  involving  the  popular  freedom  and  its 
guaranties,  which  did  not  find  among  the  clergy  who  w^ere 
Deputies  some  of  its  most  able  and  strenuous  supporters.  Of 
this  fact  the  discussion  in  regard  to  the  Inquisition  furnishes 
a  curious  and  instructive  illustration,  well  worthy  the  attention 
of  those  who  think  and  write  as  if  the  odor  of  a  roasted 
heretic  were  the  only  sweet-smelling  savor  in  the  Spanish 
clerical  nostrils. 

Services  so  eminent  and  patriotic  as  those  of  Gallego  could 
not  escape  the  vengeance  of  Ferdinand ;  and  upon  the  return 
of  his  Majesty,  Don  Nicasio  was  made  the  victim  of  a  state 
prosecution  which  lasted  eighteen  months,  and  ended  in  his 
imprisonment,  for  four  years,  in  the  Carthusian  Convent  of 
Jerez,  without  even  the  decent  formality  of  a  judicial  sentence. 
Prom  Jerez  he  was  transferred  to  the  Convent  of  Loreto,  in 
29 


226  SPAIN. 

the  midst  of  a  wilderness  not  many  leagues  from  Seville.  His 
Muse,  always  sluggish,  was  not  greatly  quickened  by  these 
vicissitudes  ;  but  the  few  poems  which  saw  the  light  during 
his  confinement  are  among  the  best  of  his  productions. 

On  the  return  of  the  liberal  party  to  power,  in  1820,  Gal- 
lego  received  a  distinguished  ecclesiastical  preferment,  of  which 
Ferdinand  took  the  earliest  occasion  to  deprive  him,  when  the 
wheel  again  went  round.  A  life  of  trial  and  humiliation  was 
the  lot  of  the  poet  for  the  next  ten  years,  during  which  he 
had  an  opportunity  of  tasting  the  bitterness  of  that  exile 
shared  by  so  many  of  his  countrymen,  and  by  himself  so 
touchingly  described  : — 

"  Otros,  gimiendo  por  su  patria  amada, 
El  agua  beben  de  estranjeros  rios, 
Mil  veces  con  sus  lagrimas  mezclada." 

To  the  desire  for  repose,  so  natural  after  so  much  weary  and 
sad  turmoil,  is  perhaps  attributable,  in  some  degree,  the  per- 
tinacity with  which  he  has  resisted  all  attempts  to  bring  him 
again  before  the  world,  by  the  publication  of  his  works. 

When  Ferdinand  died,  the  road  of  advancement  lay  open  to 
Gallego,  but  he  declined  to  accept  various  offers  of  the  most 
honorable  character.  He  consented,  nevertheless,  to  act  with 
Quintana,  Lacanal,  and  Lifian  in  the  preparation  of  a  scheme  of 
public  instruction,  and  was,  besides,  for  some  time,  a  member 
of  the  Directory  which  had  that  matter  in  charge.  Of  later 
years,  he  has  received  the  appointment  of  Senator,  and  now 
fills  the  distinguished  station,  likewise,  of  Perpetual  Secretary 
to  the  Spanish  Academy.  The  exquisite  idiomatic  purity  of 
his  compositions,  and  the  almost  oracular  reverence  in  which 


SPAIN.  227 

his  critical  opinion  is  held,  render  the  appropriateness  of  his 
selection  for  the  last-mentioned  post  a  matter  of  universal  and 
gratified  recognition. 

The  published  poems  of  Gallego  are  so  few,  that  only  the 
highest  order  of  excellence  could  give  him  the  reputation  he 
enjoys.  They  are  chiefly  lyrical  and  elegiac,  and  remarkable, 
according  to  their  class,  for  nobleness  and  elevation  of  style 
and  thought,  or  for  refined  and  plaintive  tenderness.  His 
celebrated  verses  in  commemoration  of  the  Dos  de  Mayo, — the 
consecrated  2d  of  May,  1808, — the  day  on  which  the  patriotism 
and  self-sacrifice  of  Daoiz  and  Velarde  and  the  enthusiasm  and 
despair  of  the  people  of  Madrid  raised  the  bloody  and  at  last 
triumphant  standard  of  resistance  to  the  aggression  of  the 
French, — have  become  as  much  a  portion  of  the  literature 
which  dwells  in  the  popular  heart,  as  the  Marseillaise  in 
France  or  the  "  Mariners  of  England."  The  poem  is  pub- 
lished throughout  the  kingdom,  as  often  as  the  years  bring 
round  the  proud  and  mournful  anniversary,  and  so  admirable 
are  both  its  spirit  and  its  execution,  that  it  challenges,  at  every 
repetition,  not  less  the  admiration  of  the  scholar  and  the  man 
of  taste  than  the  enthusiasm  of  those  who  have  no  canons  of 
criticism  but  their  feelings.  Indeed,  without  entering  into 
any  critical  analysis,  I  know  no  better  idea  of  Gral  lego's  style 
and  merit,  in  the  class  of  works  of  which  I  have  spoken,  than 
that  which  is  given  by  likening  him  to  Campbell.  The  same 
loftiness  and  correctness, — the  same  purity  of  taste  and  grace 
of  expression, — the  same  trumpet-like  capacity  to  warm  the 
blood, — are  conspicuous  in  both  of  them.  Unfortunately,  the 
reproach  for  "  soul-animating  strains, — alas,  too  few  ! "  is 
equally  applicable.     Gallego  has,  it  is  believed,  a  large  number 


228  iSPAIN. 

of  poems,  which  are  fated  to  do  him  only  posthumous  honor. 
A  friend,  writing  of  his  vigorous  old  age,  says  that  "  the 
request  to  publish  is  the  only  thing  to  which  he  is  deaf."  He 
is  content,  no  doubt,  with  the  regard  and  admiration  of  his 
contemporaries  already  won,  and  is  not  unwilling  to  conciliate 
posterity  by  a  legacy. 

It  would  be  hardly  fair  to  leave  unnoticed,  in  this  little 
sketch  of  two  of  the  veterans  of  Spanish  literature,  one  who, 
though  somewhat  their  junior,  still  belongs,  both  in  age  and 
eminence,  to  the  class  which  they  represent.  I  refer  to  Don 
Francisco  Martinez  de  la  Rosa,  admitted,  I  believe,  on  all 
hands,  to  be  the  most  accomplished  belles-lettres  scholar  in 
the  kingdom,  and,  if  not  the  most  prominent  in  any  particular 
department  of  literature,  remarkable,  certainly,  for  his  ability 
and  success  in  almost  all.  The  vicissitudes  of  his  political  life 
and  opinions  have  divided  the  public  sentiment  in  regard  to 
his  talents  as  a  statesman,  and  as  this  division  has  been  accom- 
panied with  considerable  feeling,  such  as  political  breaches 
always  involve,  it  has  produced  a  similar  diversity  of  senti- 
ment in  respect  to  the  degree  of  his  excellence  as  a  writer. 
Neither  passion  nor  party  spirit,  however,  has  been  able  to 
extinguish,  even  in  his  enemies,  that  respect  for  his  untiring 
industry  and  great  attainments,  which  is  conceded  equally  to 
his  personal  integrity. 

The  first  public  appearance  of  Martinez  de  la  Rosa  was  in 
the  Cortes  elected  in  1813,  under  the  new  constitution.  He 
was  sent  by  his  native  city  of  Granada,  was  an  active  supporter 
of  the  new  system,  and,  though  only  twenty -five  years  of  age, 
soon  ranked  among  the  most  distinguished  orators  of  the  Con- 
gress.    The  vindictiveness  of  Ferdinand  was  always  propor- 


SPAIN.  229 

tionetl  to  the  worth  and  ability  of  the  rebel.  Martinez  was 
accordingly  prosecuted  with  great  rigor,  but  although  an 
oi)portunity  was  offered  him  to  adjure  his  opinions  and  be 
free,  he  preferred  incurring  the  severe  penalty  of  confinement, 
for  ten  years,  in  the  state-prison  of  the  Peiion  in  Africa.  With 
the  liberal  reaction  of  1820,  his  release  came,  and  he  went  back 
to  Granada,  to  be  welcomed  with  triumphal  arches  and  returned 
again  to  the  legislature  of  the  kingdom.  Time,  however,  had 
begun  to  produce  that  change  in  his  opinions,  which  in  the  first 
fervor  of  his  youth  and  enthusiasm  the  hope  of  royal  clemency 
could  not  precipitate.  The  constitution  of  1812  had  ceased  to 
seem  to  him  the  perfection  of  government,  for  which  he  had 
once  taken  it.  This  change  soon  disclosed  itself  in  his  parlia- 
mentary course,  and,  in  the  contests  between  the  executive  and 
the  legislature,  he  was  generally  to  be  found  on  the  side  of 
ministers.  On  a  memorable  occasion  in  the  legislative  annals 
of  that  epoch,  he  announced  it  as  his  principle,  that  ''  defendi- 
endo  al  gohiemo  se  defiende  tambien  la  libertad," — the  defence 
of  government  is  the  defence  of  liberty  also  !  This,  which  has 
been  the  maxim  of  his  whole  subsequent  political  career,  gave 
at  the  time  great  provocation  to  the  liberal  party,  which  he 
■was  regarded  as  deserting,  and  has  fixed  him  permanently  in 
the  public  mind  as  the  adherent  and  advocate  of  power.  He 
was  elevated  to  the  Premiership  in  1822,  but  was  compelled, 
by  the  pressure  of  circumstances  and  of  legislative  opposition, 
to  resign  a  post  for  which  he  had  not  practical  qualifications  or 
administrative  tact.  His  parliamentary  defences,  however,  of 
his  principles  and  measures  at  that  time,  are  among  the  most 
masterly  and  eloquent  recorded  efforts  of  the  Spanish  tribune ; 
and  it  may  be  fairly  inferred  that  his  reputation,  both  national 


230  SPAIN. 

and  Continental,  was  of  some  mark,  when  Chateaubriand 
congratulated  himself  on  being  Prime-Minister  of  France,  at 
the  same  moment  that  the  same  high  place  was  filled  by 
Canning  in  England  and  Martinez  de  la  Rosa  in  Spain. 

The  return  of  Ferdinand  to  absolute  power  drove  Martinez 
into  exile.  He  remained  for  the  most  part  in  Paris,  where  he 
formed  many  distinguished  political  and  literary  associations, 
the  former  of  which  contributed  no  doubt  to  confirm  and  fix 
his  maturer  and  more  conservative  ideas  of  government. 
During  his  residence  abroad,  which  continued  until  1830,  he 
published  many  poetical,  dramatic,  and  critical  works,  some  of 
them  of  a  high  order  of  merit,  and  none  without  the  marks  of 
scholarship  and  taste.  One  of  his  dramas,  written  in  French, 
was  in  the  course  of  representation  with  great  success  in  Paris, 
when  the  revolution  of  the  "three  days"  broke  out.  His  Art 
of  Poetry, — after  the  fashion  of  Horace  and  Boileau, — though 
in  itself  fuller  of  art  than  poetry,  like  its  illustrious  prototypes, 
was  accompanied  by  a  large  body  of  copious  and  admirable 
annotations,  amounting  almost  to  a  critical  history  of  Spanish 
poetical  literature,  and  displaying,  not  only  a  profound  and 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  subject,  but  all  a  poet's  appre- 
ciation of  its  spirit. 

After  the  death  of  Ferdinand,  the  known  moderation  of 
Martinez  de  la  Rosa  in  his  political  sentiments  commended 
him  to  the  Queen  Regent.  The  Estatuto  Real  (Royal  Statute), 
the  first  compromise  of  despotism  with  the  new  order  of  things, 
was  promulgated  by  an  administration  over  which  he  presided, 
and  is  admitted  to  have  been  his  individual  work.  Allusion 
has  already  been  made  to  this  hybridous  constitution,  and  it  is 
not  worth  while  to  analyse  its  character  here.     It  created  a 


SPAIN.  231 

legislature  composed  of  two  branches, — the  one  chosen  for  life 
and  eminently  aristocratic  in  its  nature  and  functions, — the 
other  a  chamber  of  procuradwes,  to  be  selected  from  time  to 
time,  and  mainly  by  the  ayuntamientos  or  corporations  of  the 
cities  and  towns.     As  these  latter  functionaries  for  the  most 
part  were  the  creatures  of  the  crown,  or  could  at  any  time  be 
made  so,  it  was  felt  by  the  mass  of  the  constitutional  party, 
that  the  Cortes  of  the  Estatuto  were  little  better  than  a  mockery 
of  popular  representation.     When  the  decree  for  tlie  organiza- 
tion of  the  system  was  read,  the  indignation  of  the  liberals 
against  its  authors  knew  no  bounds.     Arguelles,  the  cory- 
phaeus of  the  old  constitutional  regime,  cried  out  "  Apostasy !" 
lifting  his  hands  to  his  head  in  despair ;  and  even  in  the  first 
legislature  which  the  ministry  convoked  under  the  Statute, 
there  were  elements  of  the  most  vigorous  and  determined  re- 
sistance to  it.     Martinez  had  all  the  oratorical  ability  and  tact 
which  bafiSe  or  break  down  an  opposition  in  debate,  but  he 
wanted  the  strategy  and  energy  to   divert   or   overcome  the 
pressure  from  without.     He  was,  besides,  too  scrupulous  for  a 
statesman  in  his  country  and  generation.     He  expressed  opin- 
ions because  he  entertained  them,  and  adopted  lines  of  policy 
for  no  better  reason  than  that  he  believed  them  to  be  right. 
The  chances  of  such  a  game  as  politics  have  become,  in  all 
countries,  were  therefore  necessarily  against  him,  and  when  the 
defects  of  his  system  and  the  traits  of  his  personal  character 
were  added  to  what  a  contemporary  calls  his  "  excessive  recti- 
tude," it  is  no  marvel  that  his  administration  was  troubled  and 
disastrous.     It  lasted,  however,  nearly  eighteen  months.     The 
equally  bad  success  of  those  who  followed  him,  under  the  same 
system,  might,  in  other  circumstances,  have  relieved  him  from 


232  SPAIN. 

the  charge  of  being  less  wise  than  his  fellows ;  but,  unfortu- 
nately, he  was  the  author  of  the  system  itself,  so  that,  in  one 
shape  or  the  other,  he  must  bear  the  responsibility  of  his  own 
reverses  and,  it  may  be,  of  theirs. 

Since  the  repeal  of  the  Estatuto,  and  under  the  constitutions 
which  have  succeeded  it,  Martinez  de  la  Rosa  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Cortes  from  time  to  time,  and  has  maintained  the 
parliamentary  reputation  of  his  more  vigorous  years,  under  all 
the  disadvantages  of  age  and  the  loss  of  political  prestige.  He 
was  a  Deputy  when  I  was  in  Madrid,  but  was  absent,  as  I 
have  stated,  as  Ambassador  at  Rome.  A  warm  and  active 
sympathy  with  the  Head  of  the  Church,  in  his  misfortunes, 
was  certainly  both  natural  and  proper  in  a  country  so  thor- 
oughly and  devotedly  Catholic  as  Spain.  The  virtues  of  Pius 
the  Ninth  entitled  him,  besides,  to  veneration  and  affectionate 
regard,  independent  altogether  of  the  homage  which  was 
rendered  to  his  ecclesiastical  supremacy.  He  was  undoubtedly 
the  pioneer  in  the  liberal  movement  which  has  shaken  Europe 
during  the  last  few  years,  and  there  can  be  but  little  question, 
that,  if  he  had  been  left  to  himself,  to  conduct  with  prudence 
and  moderation  what  he  had  begun  with  wisdom  and  good 
faith,  there  would  not  now  be  seen  the  spectacle  of  a  French 
army  keeping  watch  and  ward  in  the  Eternal  City.  The 
presence  of  so  distinguished  a  personage  as  Martinez  de  la 
Rosa,  invested  with  the  highest  powers  and  dignities  known 
to  diplomatic  custom,  and  following  the  exiled  Pontiff  through 
all  the  stages  of  his  pilgrimage,  was  therefore,  in  every  sense, 
appropriate  and  worthy  of  a  reverent  and  generous  people.  It 
was  nevertheless  a  striking  instance  of  that  perpetual  change 
in  men  and  nations,  whereof  all  history  is  but  the  record,  that 


SPAIN.  233 

Spain  herself,  so  frequently  the  victim  of  foreign  intervention, 
should  have  sent  an  army  to  intervene  in  the  domestic  affairs 
of  Rome;  and  that  an  individual  who  had  so  often  denounced 
the  hateful  j)i-inciple,  and  had  himself  so  sufiPered  from  its 
operation,  should  have  been  the  bearer  of  his  country's  man- 
date, to  do  unto  others  what  she  would  not  that  others  should 
do  unto  her.  "  For  my  part,"  says  Montaigne,  "  I  am  with 
much  more  difficulty  induced  to  believe  in  a  man's  consistency 
than  in  any  other  virtue  in  him  ;  while  there  is  nothing  I  so 
readily  believe  as  his  inconsistency;  and  whoso  will  meditate 
upon  the  matter,  closely  and  abstractedly,  will  agree  with  me." 
As  to  the  consistency  of  nations,  not  even  that  universal 
raoraliser  thought  it  worth  while  to  moralise. 

Besides  the  works  to  which  reference  has  already  been  made, 
Martinez  de  la  Rosa  has  subsequently  found  leisure  for  the 
production  of  many,  both  in  poetry  and  prose,  and  some  of 
them  at  least  are  likely  to  become  a  permanent  portion  of  the 
national  literature.  His  most  elaborate  work  in  prose-fiction 
— the  historical  novel  called  Isabel  de  Solis — has  not  been 
received  with  general  approbation,  the  better  opinion  being 
that  it  lacks  both  spirit  and  invention.  The  historical  biogra- 
phy of  Hernan  Perez  del  Pulgar  is,  however,  an  admirable 
specimen  of  its  class,  and  would,  in  the  judgment  of  many,  be 
sufficient  to  make  a  reputation.  Critical  opinion,  nevertheless, 
is  divided  even  upon  that  point,  and  some  have  been  found  to 
denounce  the  whole  production  as  a  waste  of  time  and  labor 
on  a  worthless  subject, — an  attempt  to  write  a  chronicle  of 
knightly  days,  in  the  obsolete  language  that  belonged  to  them. 
Some  time  back,  one  of  the  prominent  journals  of  Madrid  was 
polite  and  amiable  enough  to  announce,  that,  in  the  judgment 
30 


234  SPAIN. 

of  its  editors,  Martinez  de  la  Rosa  was  little  better  than  a 
tonto, — in  plain  language,  a  fool !  I  myself  was  surprised  to 
hear  a  distinguished  political  rival  say,  that  he  was  a  flat  poet 
and  a  dull  novelist,  \vith  nothing  striking  about  him,  but  large 
acquirements  and  larger  vanity !  In  the  mean  time,  by  general 
consent,  at  home,  he  stands  among  the  first  of  the  men  of 
letters  of  his  day,  and  a  recent  sketch  of  his  life  announces  his 
elevation,  abroad,  to  the  high  dignity  of  President  of  the 
Institute  of  France.  The  balance  would  seem,  under  such 
circumstances,  to  incline  somewhat  in  his  favor,  but  the 
amusing  diversity  of  opinion  in  regard  to  his  literary  merits 
may  well  serve  to  illustrate  the  uncertainty  of  contemporary 
fame,  and  to  justify,  in  a  new  point  of  view,  the  wisdom  of 
the  philosopher  of  old,  who  said  that  the  fortune  of  the 
happiest  man  alive  was  like  the  luck  of  a  wrestler  who  was 
still  in  the  ring. 


XXII. 

Standing  Arihes. — The  Spanish  Army,  its  Condition  and  Political 
Influence. — Immense  Number  of  Generals. — The  Scientific 
Corps. — Their  Organization  and  Merits. — The  Navy,  its  Im- 
provement AND  Personnel. — Its  Organization. — The  Cuban 
Expeditions. — Discriminating  Duties  under  our  Act  of  1834. 
— Development  of  Agriculture  and  Internal  Improvements 
IN  Spain,  in  Consequence.— Santander. — Railroads. — ^The  Ca- 
nal OF  Castile. — Competition. 

THE  organization  of  standing  armies  has  always  been 
regarded  as  a  step  forward  in  the  civilization  of  Europe. 
Not  that  there  is  any  thing  particularly  humanising  in  horse, 
foot,  and  dragoons,  of  themselves  or  as  an  institution,  but 
that,  as  men,  since  the  days  of  Cain,  have  had  a  proneness  to 
slay  their  brethren,  it  was  a  wise  and  happy  thought  to  intrust 
the  indulgence  of  that  human  weakness  to  a  representative 
class,  educated,  equipped,  and  paid  for  the  purpose,  and  to 
leave  the  rest  of  society  leisure  and  opportunity  for  more 
profitable  labor  and  gentler  entertainment.  No  one  needs  be 
told  how  military  establishments,  like  all  other  establishments 
clothed  with  public  power  for  public  purposes,  have  habit- 
ually, and  on  principle,  used  that  power  for  their  own.  When 
kings  grow  into  tyrants  and  priests  into  stipendiaries, — when 
republican  Representatives  resolve  the  whole  task  of  legisla- 

235 


236  SPAIN. 

tion  into  making  themselves  Presidents,  or  profiting  by  the 
President-making  of  others, — it  can  be  no  matter  of  surprise 
that  the  drum  and  trumpet  should  have  taught  no  better  les- 
son of  conscience  and  duty. 

In  Spain  the  weight  of  the  army  in  political  affairs  has  been 
a  crying  evil,  since  the  very  commencement  of  the  liberal 
system.  Its  pronunciamientos  have  been  always  influential, 
and  often  omnipotent.  Its  leaders  have  found  military  service 
^-or  the  rank  which  they  have  reached  without  it — a  passport 
to  the  highest  places  of  the  state.  The  legislature  is  full  of 
them, — the  ministerial  bench  is  rarely  free  from  them.  They 
are  the  boldest  intriguers,  the  most  open  and  avowed  self- 
seekers.  Where  a  civilian  finds  a  pretext  necessary,  a  brigadier- 
general  affects  none.  If  the  government  displeases  him,  he  is 
indignant  and  confesses  it.  He  represents  an  estate  of  the 
realm,  and  he  has  no  hesitation  in  proclaiming  that  he  will 
make  himself  feared,  if  the  rulers  will  not  love  him. 

Unfortunately,  the  evil  of  these  things,  though  very  obvious, 
is  of  very  difficult  cure.  A  nation  like  Spain,  which  has  been 
for  half  a  century  in  constant  war,  must  of  necessity  have 
incurred  heavy  obligations  to  her  soldiery.  She  has  debts  of 
gratitude  to  be  paid  in  honors,  and  debts  of  a  more  substantial 
sort  to  be  more  substantially  satisfied.  As  a  portion  of  her 
wars  have  been  dynastic, — and  as  in  many  of  her  political 
contentions  the  bayonet  has  done  the  duty  of  the  ballot-box, — 
the  victorious  dynasty  and  the  triumphant  party  have  neces- 
sarily involved  themselves  in  pledges  to  their  troops,  which 
must  for  a  while  not  only  forbid  any  serious  reduction  of  the 
military  scale,  so  far  as  the  officers  are  concerned,  but  render 
it  dangerous  to  resist  the  demands  of  popular  chieftains. 


SPAIN.  237 

There  are  external  causes,  too,  at  the  present  moment,  which 
make  it  almost  impossible  for  Spain  to  contract  her  army  and 
its  influence  within  the  proper  scope  of  a  constitutional  system. 
Of  these,  the  troubled  and  uncertain  state  of  Europe  is  obvi- 
ously, an  important  one,  but  the  chief  obstacle  is  to  be  found 
in  the  proximity  of  France  and  the  extent  and  efficacy  of 
French  influence.  There  seems  to  be  a  sort  of  spiritual  or 
phreno-magnetic  rapport  proclaimed,  if  not  existing,  between 
Spain  and  her  extraordinary  neighbor.  It  has  become  almost 
a  concession,  that,  if  there  is  a  revolution  in  France,  there  must 
be  one  in  Spain,  with  or  without  cause.  If  there  is  a  reaction 
at  Paris,  Madrid  straightway  becomes  reactionary,  whether 
there  be  or  be  not  any  thing  to  react  from.  A  "crisis"  at  the 
one  place  is  almost  sure  to  produce  a  "  crisis "  at  the  other, 
without  the  remotest  regard  to  the  existence  or  non-existence 
of  any  thing  critical.  The  patient  smacks  his  lips,  simply 
because  the  mesmerist  has  a  disposition  to  drink.  I  have 
already  alluded  to  the  extent  of  this  influence,  but  chiefly  in 
reference  to  the  absurdities  in  which  it  results.  Its  more 
serious  consequences  are  quite  as  numerous.  There  was  a 
popular  outbreak  in  Madrid  after  the  overthrow  of  Louis 
Philippe,  merely  because  Louis  Philippe  had  been  overthrown. 
The  government  strengthened  itself  for  its  own  preservation 
immediately  after  that  outbreak,  as  was  natural  enough  ;  but 
the  increase  of  its  powers  was  made  a  fixe<l  political  principle, 
as  soon  as  it  was  perceived  that  in  France  it  had  become 
fashionable  to  shoot  "  fraternity."  Since  the  accession  of  Louis 
Napoleon  to  the  Prince-Presidency  and  the  Empire,  there  is 
no  knowing  what  might  happen,  were  there  any  body  in  Madrid 
who  was  nephew  to  an  uncle.     Indeed,  it  would  not  be  strange, 


238  SPAIN. 

if,  before  these  reflections  should  see  the  light,  there  were  a 
temporary  interruption  of  the  constitutional  progress  of  Spain 
and  the  happiness  and  improvement  of  her  people,  by  some 
Gallic  harlequinade  or  other,  on  the  model  of  the  coup  d'etat. 
Excluding  the  troops  in  the  colonies,  the  Spanish  army,  in 
actual  service  in  the  Peninsula  and  the  adjacent  islands,  was 
stated  by  Sr.  Moron,  in  the  Chamber  of  Deputies,  to  consist  of 
one  hundred  and  four  thousand  men.     On  the  first  of  January, 
1849,  and  throwing  out  of  the  calculation  all  subsequent  ad- 
ditions, which  were  numerous,  there  were  neither  more  nor  less 
than  six  hundred  and  sixty-two  general  officers,  the  most  of 
them  comparatively  recent  promotions,  distributed   through 
that  army  !     By  the  Blue  Book  of  1850,  seventy-nine  of  these 
appear  to  have  been  lieutenant-generals.     The  French  army, 
of  about  five  times  the  number  of  soldiers,  had  about  one  third 
the  number  of  generals,  and  the  proportion  was  still  smaller 
in  Prussia.     In  Austria,  with  more  than  four  times  as  many 
men,  there  were  scarcely  more  than  half  as  many  commanders. 
It  is  true  that  the  military  system  of  Spain  provides  for  the 
enrolment  and  reduction  into  service,  on  occasion,  of  what  is 
called  the  reserva,  or  reserved  division  of  the  levies,  so  that  the 
enormous  disproportion  which  the  statistics  show  between  the 
rank  and  file  and  their  superior  officers,  ought  to  be  considered 
with  a  trifling  qualification,  on  that  account.     But  taking  all 
things  into  the  calculation, — not  forgetting  the  troops  in  the 
colonies,  or  overlooking  the  necessity  of  supernumerary  pro- 
motions, during  the  progress  and  at  the  close  of  a  civil  war  of 
protracted  duration, — it  must  be  admitted  that  there  is  little  to 
redeem  the  military  establishment  of  Spain  from  mere  absurdity 
in  the  particular  referred  to.     Even  if  the  reserva  were  called 


SPAIN.  239 

by  circumstances  into  activity,  there  is  not  much  in  the  history 
of  the  past  to  induce  the  belief,  that  the  opportunity  would  be 
taken  to  make  the  officers  deserve  their  honors  by  the  laborious 
discharge  of  duty.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  more  than  likely  that 
the  occasion  would  be  greedily  seized  to  enlarge  the  list  of  gen- 
ei-ales,  &c.,  yet  more  extensively,  and  to  decorate  with  new 
ribbons  and  crosses,  if  such  could  be  found,  those  who  had 
already  reached  the  summit  of  actual  rank. 

In  his  guide-book,  published  about  the  middle  of  1849,  and 
containing  a  great  deal  of  useful  compendious  information, 
Mellado  states  that  the  empleados  connected  with  the  War 
Department  amounted  to  about  eleven  thousand,  exclusive  of 
soldiers.  It  will  not  thus  be  deemed  at  all  remarkable  that 
the  presupuesto,  or  budget  of  1850,  should  have  appropriated 
nearly  sixteen  millions  of  dollars  to  that  branch  of  the  public 
service.  When  it  is  considered  that  the  ordinary  provision  for 
the  Naval  Department,  in  the  same  year,  reached  about  three 
millions  and  a  half,  and  that  a  very  large  increase  in  the  navy 
has  since  been  rendered  necessary,  by  the  piratical  plans  which 
have  been  agitated  in  the  United  States,  it  will  be  seen  that 
Spain  would  have  abundant  reasons  for  being  represented  in 
the  Peace-Congresses. 

With  whatever  truth  the  contrary  may  have  been  said 
twenty  years  ago,  there  can  be  no  question  that  the  Spanish 
army,  at  the  jjeriod  of  my  visit,  was  in  a  high  state  of  disci- 
pline, and  thoroughly  instructed  in  the  best  improvements  of 
modern  military  science.  The  regiments  which  went  to  Rome 
attracted  great  admiration,  although  the  duty  assigned  to  them 
afforded  but  little  opportunity  for  the  display  of  their  more 
substantial  qualifications.     I   saw  some  of  them  after  their 


240  SPAI2i. 

return,  and  heard  ample  testimony  borne  by  competent  judges, 
witliout  national  bias,  to  the  excellence  of  their  equipment  and 
drill.  The  garrison  of  Madrid  was  composed  of  a  very  fine 
body  of  men, — both  infantry  and  cavalry, — lithe,  active,  and 
strikingly  martial  in  their  bearing.  I  could  not  help  fre- 
quently observing,  however,  among  the  company  officers  of 
the  line,  a  manifest  inferiority  to  the  rank  and  file  in  soldierlike 
appearance.  It  was  mainly  attributable,  I  thought,  to  the 
comparative  youth  and  immaturity  of  the  captains  and  lieu- 
tenants, some  of  whom  seemed  hardly  fit  to  encounter  the 
rudeness  of  war's  alarms.  It  is  still  but  fair  to  say,  that  the 
worst  enemies  of  the  army,  as  a  political  engine,  were  con- 
strained to  acknowledge  the  personal  bravery  of  its  officers.  It 
would  indeed  be  hard  to  find  a  more  gallant  band  of  gentlemen, 
and  it  was  on  that  account  the  more  to  be  regretted  that  so 
many  of  them  should  be  tempted,  by  a  corrupting  political 
system,  to  hang  upon  the  favor  of  a  court. 

Captain  Widdrington  ^ — whose  professional  pursuits,  as  well 
as  his  long  residence  and  opportunities  of  observation  in  Spain, 
entitle  his  judgment  to  great  respect — speaks  very  favorably 
of  the  education  and  attainments  of  the  officers  attached  to  the 
scientific  departments.  The  period  to  which  he  refers  was 
about  that  of  Ferdinand's  death,  and  the  improvement  which 

^  In  a  review  of  the  "  Glimpses  of  Spain,"  the  London  Athenceum — refer- 
ring to  the  favorable  notice  I  had  taken  of  this  gentleman's  admirable  books 
on  Peninsular  afiairs — was  liberal  enough  to  suggest,  as  the  source  of  my 
commendation,  that  no  doubt  the  captain  wrote  "  U.  S."  after  his  name ! 
I  should  be  glad  if  it  were  true,  but  as  it  is  not,  I  must  be  content  with 
having  introduced  to  the  AthencEum  an  officer  of  whom  the  Royal  Navy 
ought  to  be  proud,  and  an  author  of  whose  name  it  was  scarcely  reputable 
in  a  literary  journal  to  be  ignorant. 


SPAIN.  241 

has  taken  place,  since  that  time,  in  the  preparatory  system, 
would  no  doubt  render  his  commendation  more  generally 
applicable  now.  Although,  however,  it  is  true,  as  he  observes, 
that  the  artillery  and  engineer  corps  have  always  been  remark- 
able for  the  liberality  of  their  political  sentiments,  and  have 
almost  uuiversally  encountered  the  greatest  sacrifices  in  the 
maintenance  of  such  opinions,  it  is  equally  true,  that  they  have 
habitually  refrained,  more  than  any  other  branches  of  the  army, 
from  intermeddling  with  the  ordinary  politics  of  the  country. 
No  doubt  the  direction  of  their  intellectual  occupations  has  had 
a  good  deal  to  do  with  tiiis,  and  there  is  even  more,  perhaps, 
in  the  fact,  that  they  have  intellectual  occupation  of  some  sort, 
without  any  particular  reference  to  its  nature.  The  mathe- 
matics do  not  fit  a  man  peculiarly  for  playing  pretendiente,  if 
the  inclination  occurs  to  him  ;  yet  it  is  not  likely  to  occur  to 
him,  if  he  has  the  mathematics,  or  any  thing  else,  in  his  head, 
by  which  he  earns  an  honorable  livelihood,  with  mental  im- 
provement and  a  respectable  position.  But  that  the  engineers 
and  artillery  officers  are  not  politicians  generally,  is  probably 
owing  to  the  particular  organization  of  those  corps,  more  than 
to  any  other  cause.  Promotion,  with  them,  follows  the  rigid 
rule  of  seniority ;  whereas,  in  the  other  divisions,  he  who  has 
friends,  male  or  female,  in  the  palace  or  about  it,  rises  soonest 
and  most  infallibly.  The  visible  good  effect  of  the  stricter 
system  ought  certainly  to  suggest  to  the  law-makers  the 
propriety  of  extending  it  to  the  whole  military  establishment. 
Promotion,  given  as  the  extraordinary  reward  of  extraordinary 
merit,  in  the  legitimate  field  of  a  soldier's  duties,  is  of  course 
an  incentive  to  honorable  and  just  ambition,  and  elevates  the 
character  of  the  army,  while  it  prejudices  no  other  interest  of 
31 


242  SPAIN. 

the  state.  But  where  advancement  is  the  prize  of  ante-cham- 
ber servility,  political  subserviency,  or  small  intrigue,  it  can 
have  no  beneficial  public  result,  military  or  civil.  Numerous 
instances  of  its  ridiculous  and  prejudicial  consequences  were 
very  familiar,  when  I  was  in  Madrid,  to  all  who  knew  any 
thing  of  public  men  and  political  affairs.  With  us,  the  habit 
of  looking  to  military  chiefs  as  political  leaders,  merely  because 
they  have  fought  battles,  is  bad  enough,  no  doubt, — and  none 
the  less  so,  because  now  and  then  the  education  and  habits  of 
the  camp  may  have  developed  eminent  executive  qualities  in 
particular  individuals.  That  must,  in  spite  of  exceptions,  be 
in  the  main  a  vicious  rule,  which  regards  any  thing  aside  from 
fitness,  in  the  choice  of  agents  for  any  purpose.  But  with  us, 
the  soldier,  wise  or  unwise,  takes  off  his  spurs  when  he  becomes 
a  political  leader.  His  military  career  may  secure  his  eleva- 
tion, but  it  ends  when  that  begins.  General  Narvaez,  as 
Prime-Minister,  might  wear  on  state  occasions,  if  it  pleased 
him,  the  uniform  of  a  Captain-General.  It  would  be  odd, 
with  us,  to  see  a  President  inaugurated  in  epaulettes.  As 
long  as  the  Spanish  system  lasts,  irregularity  and  uncertainty 
must  be  looked  for,  and  constitutional  government  cannot  be 
said  to  exist  in  its  purity.  Our  system  will  probably  give  us 
many  bad  rulers ;  but  they  will  be  simply  inferior  Presidents, 
not  dangerous  generals. 

In  the  Spanish  navy,  promotion  is  likewise  dependent  upon 
fixed  rules,  and  the  result  is  identical  with  that  which  has 
already  been  adverted  to,  in  connection  with  the  scientific  corps 
of  the  land-service.  It  is  a  very  rare  thing  for  naval  officers 
to  be  heard  of  in  association  with  political  intrigues,  or,  indeed, 
anything  political ;  although  they  are  remarkable  as  a  class 


SPAIN.  243 

for  their  ability,  and  for  the  extent  of  their  general,  as  well  as 
professional  attainments.  This  fact  illustrates  the  political 
wisdom  of  their  organization,  even  more  decidedly  than  the 
same  result  following  the  same  cause  in  those  divisions  of  the 
army  to  which  it  is  applicable.  Until  lately,  the  Spanish  navy 
had  been  for  many  years  in  a  state  of  sad  inactivity  ;  and  the 
opportunity  for  any  practical  exercise  of  the  scientific  acquire- 
ments which  the  routine  of  the  service  prescribes,  was  extremely 
insijrnificant.  Sailors  and  naval  commanders  cannot  be  made 
or  occupied  without  ships,  and  the  disasters  of  the  preceding 
and  the  present  century  had  not  only  destroyed  the  proud 
armaments  of  Spain  and  exhausted  the  means  of  their  restora- 
tion, but  in  a  great  degree  broken  the  spirit  which  might  have 
repaired  her  fortunes  on  the  sea.  All  the  temptations  which 
leisure  creates  were  therefore  thrown  in  the  way  of  the  officers 
of  the  navy.  Ambitious,  and  at  the  same  time  capable  and 
well-educated,  they  had  every  inducement  to  seek,  in  the  palace 
or  the  halls  of  legislation,  the  command  which  they  had  no 
quarter-decks  to  supply.  The  influence  which  countervailed 
so  natural  a  tendency  must  have  been  strong,  especially  when 
they  beheld  field-marshals  and  generals  changing  into  senators 
and  secretaries  all  around  them,  and  when  there  was  scarcely 
a  scale  of  power  into  which  some  one  did  not  fling,  before 
their  eyes,  a  sword  no  heavier  than  theirs. 

I  have  said,  that  the  necessity  of  defending  her  colonies 
from  the  aggressive  expeditions  of  our  buccaneers  has  produced 
a  decided  augmentation  of  the  Spanish  navy  within  a  few  years 
past.  In  addition  to  the  regular  budget  for  1850,  a  million 
and  a  half  of  dollars  were  appropriated,  by  special  decree,  in 
March  of  the  same  year,  principally  to  the  construction  of 


244  SPAIN. 

steam-ships.  Considerable  activity  had  previously  been  given 
to  the  workshops  at  Ferrol  and  La  Carraca,  and  the  then 
Secretary,  the  Marquis  of  Molins,  had  devoted  himself  with 
considerable  energy  and  enthusiasm  to  the  renovation  of  his 
Department  and  the  increase  of  its  efficiency.  The  same  policy 
has  been  pursued  with  constant  vigor  down  to  the  present 
time.  Liberal  and  wise  ajipropriations  have  been  successively 
granted  in  furtherance  of  it.  Large  purchases  for  the  Spanish 
arsenals  have  been  made  in  our  own  timber-markets.  The 
naval  schools  have  been  reorganized ;  the  modern  improve- 
ments in  naval  architecture  have  been  studiously  consulted ; 
the  quiet  acquisitions  in  nautical  science,  which  men  like 
Navarrete  had  for  years  been  hiving,  have  found  scope  for 
their  display  and  application.  The  national  pride  has  become 
enlisted,  and  the  opposition  but  rivals  the  government  in 
encouraging  and  following  its  suggestions. 

Independently,  indeed,  of  the  principal  cause  of  all  this, 
which  has  been  mentioned,  the  increase  of  the  navy  was 
absolutely  required  by  the  improving  commercial  activity  and 
prospects  of  the  kingdom.  Not  that  trade  has  been  doubled, 
as  the  navy  has  been, — but  tliat  the  military  marine  was  so 
utterly  unequal  to  the  discharge  of  its  proper  duties,  as  to  need 
a  complete  reorganization,  in  order  to  meet  the  most  moderate 
advance  in  commerce.  Public  measures  or  events  are  rarely 
to  be  regarded  in  the  exclusive  light  of  cause  or  effect.  They 
are  generally  both.  An  increase  of  naval  strength,  suggested 
by  an  increase  of  commerce  calling  for  protection,  must,  in  its 
turn  and  by  the  very  protection  which  it  affords,  give  an 
impulse  to  commercial  development.  A  commercial  marine, 
upon  the  other  hand,  developed  by  any  cause  whatever,  must 


SPAIN.  245 

not  only  create  and  enforce  a  necessity  for  the  increase  of  naval 
power,  but  must  furnish  the  means  of  naval  growth,  in  a  body 
of  experienced  and  hardy  seamen  and  in  the  awakened  interest 
and  sympathy  of  the  nation.  It  may  thus  turn  out,  that  the 
attempts  of  a  portion  of  our  floating  and  licentious  population 
to  enrich  themselves  at  the  expense  of  Spain  and  her  colonies, 
and  of  our  national  good  name,  may  be  one  means  of  burnish- 
ing once  more  the  rusted  trident  of  the  Peninsula,  and  restoring 
the  goodly  trade  which  once  flourished  under  its  guardianship. 
There  is  a  portion  of  our  national  legislation,  in  reference 
to  Spain,  which  shows  how  important  results  may  sometimes 
follow  from  causes  apparently  wide  of  them.  It  perhaps  illus- 
trates quite  as  well  the  remark  just  now  made,  as  to  the  double 
light  in  which  public  measures  ought  commonly  to  be  regarded. 
I  refer  to  the  matter  of  "  discriminating  duties,"  levied  on 
Spanish  vessels  from  the  West  Indies,  under  the  act  of  1834. 
The  reader  may  perhaps  remember  an  able  and  statesmanlike 
communication  on  the  subject,  made  by  Mr.  Secretary  Corwin, 
to  Congress,  during  its  last  unprofitable  session.  The  act  was 
passed  as  a  measure  of  retaliation,  and  would,  perhaps,  have 
been  sufficiently  just,  if  it  had  not  been  unwise.  It  very  soon 
resulted  in  excluding  Spanish  vessels  from  our  ports,  and  to 
the  extent  of  throwing  the  carrying-trade  between  the  United 
States  and  the  Islands  into  the  hands  of  our  ship-owners,  it 
answered  its  purpose  speedily  and  bravely.  But  our  legisla- 
tors seemed  to  forget  that  a  carrying-trade  implies  commodi- 
ties to  be  carried,  as  well  as  vessels  to  carry  them.  They  lost 
sight  of  the  fact,  that  the  articles  of  merchandise  which  we 
contributed  to  the  consumption  of  the  Islands  could  nearly 
all  be  purchased  elsewhere,  and  that  the  advantage  which  our 


246  SPAIN. 

ports  enjoyed,  from  their  proximity,  could  readily  be  counter- 
balanced by  custom-house  facilities  and  exemptions,  extended 
to  importations  in  Spanish  bottoms.  These  facilities  and  ex- 
emptions were  in  fact  afforded.  Other  nations,  wiser  than  we, 
were  willing  to  produce  and  sell,  and  let  the  Spaniards  them- 
selves carry.  The  consequence  followed,  that  a  large  portion 
of  the  demand  from  the  Spanish  West  Indies  was  diverted  to 
other  markets,  so  that  our  trade  with  them  is  now  confined  in 
a  great  degree  to  our  own  products,  and  to  certain  ponderous 
articles  of  no  very  great  value,  which  our  locality  enables  us 
to  monopolize  in  spite  of  our  legislation.  The  large  mass  of 
foreign  commodities  which  we  formerly  sold  them  are  now 
purchased  by  them,  directly,  from  the  same  sources  which  fur- 
nish our  own  supplies.  Even  in  the  articles  which  we  con- 
tinue to  furnish,  the  sum  of  our  trade  bears  no  proportion 
whatever  to  the  immense  increase  of  the  West  India  demand. 
The  benefit,  therefore,  which  our  shipping  interests  may  seem 
to  have  reaped  in  some  particulars  from  the  measure  in  ques- 
tion, has  been  most  dearly  paid  for  by  sacrifices  which  are 
now  too  obvious  to  escape  the  attention  of  any  political  econ- 
omists, except  members  of  Congress  on  the  eve  or  in  the  reac- 
tion of  a  Presidential  campaign. 

But  the  result,  as  it  affects  the  United  States,  is  not  the 
point  to  which  the  purposes  of  this  work  would  make  me 
direct  the  reader's  attention.  Driven  from  our  ports,  by  the 
onerous  duties  imposed  on  them  and  the  vexations  with  which 
the  imposition  was  often  accompanied,  the  Spanish  ship-own- 
ers naturally  enough  sought  their  home-markets,  whenever 
the  articles  required  by  the  colonial  trade  could  be  found  there. 
The  new  demand  and  opportunity  of  shipment,  in  their  turn, 


SPAIN.  247 

quickened  production  and  supply.  Large  quantities  of  rice, 
which  till  then  had  almost  rotted  on  the  Mediterranean  coasts 
of  Spain,  began  to  fill  the  warehouses  of  Cuba,  in  the  stead  of 
our  rice  which  was  excluded.  Bread-stuffs,  which  had  found 
no  outlet  from  the  boundless  and  inexhaustible  grain-growing 
regions  of  Castile,  began  to  pour  through  the  gates  of  Santan- 
der.  A  new  and  extraordinary  impulse  was  given  to  the  trade 
of  that  city.  Numerous  mills  were  erected  in  its  vicinity;  new 
quays  were  built ;  all  commercial  facilities  were,  as  far  as 
possible,  augmented.  Internal  improvements  were  begun,  and 
with  vigor,  for  their  usefulness  and  profit  were  certain.  A 
new  source  of  wealth  was  in  fact  created, — a  new  development 
given  at  the  same  moment  to  agriculture  and  commerce,  and 
all  the  collateral  departments  of  both.  By  the  last  information 
from  the  province,  it  appears  that,  under  the  direction  of  an 
English  company,  a  railway  from  Santauder  to  Alar  was  about 
to  be  commenced  at  both  ends  of  the  line,  and  that  a  continua- 
tion of  the  same  work  from  Alar  to  Burgos  and  Valladolid 
Mas  already  partially  under  contract.  The  Canal  de  Castilla, 
originally  projected  by  the  wise  foresight  of  the  Marquis  of 
Ensanada,  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  was  to  have 
had  one  of  its  termini  at  Santander,  and  there  has  been  of  late 
an  active  movement  towards  its  completion.  Indeed,  the 
rivalry  which  at  present  exists  between  those  who  are  interested 
in  the  canal,  and  the  company  having  in  charge  the  Valladolid 
branch  of  the  railway  alluded  to,  furnishes  the  best  evidence 
of  the  importance  of  the  interests  involved  and  the  spirit  which 
they  have  awakened. 

The  consumption  of  Castiliau  bread-stuffs  in  the  West  Indies 
Las  now  become  so  general,  and  the  improvements  which  have 


248  SPAIN. 

been  made  in  their  preparation  and  packing  have  rendered 
them  so  desirable,  that  it  is  much  to  be  doubted  whether  any 
change  in  our  policy,  thus  late,  can  open  the  way  to  profitable 
rivalry.  The  works  of  internal  improvement  to  which  I  have 
alluded,  and  the  other  enterprises  connected  with  them,  are  in 
a  great  degree  sustained  by  the  colossal  capital  of  the  Cuban 
merchants  and  bankers,  so  that  there  is  but  little  probability  of 
their  failure  from  lack  of  liberal  support.  The  experiment  on 
our  part  is  nevertheless  worth  trying,  for  as  political  economy 
is  the  science  of  selfishness,  we  had  as  well  be  scientific,  like 
the  rest.  If  the  Spaniards  be  wise,  they  will  take  care  of 
themselves,  on  the  same  principle,  and  not  commit  the  folly  of 
starting  in  the  race  of  unrestricted  competition,  until  they 
have  trained  themselves  for  it,  like  their  competitors,  by  a 
course  of  rational  self-protection. 


XXIII. 

Ecclesiastical  System  and  Reforms. — Abolition  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion. —  Its  Character.  —  Llorente.  —  Campomanes.  —  Florida- 

BLANCA  and  JovELLANOS. — ThE  MONASTIC  ORDERS. — ThEIR  SUP- 
PRESSION.— Confiscation  of  Church  Property. — Reforms  op  the 
Church  System. — Pay  of  the  Clergy. — Character  of  the  Secu- 
lar Clergy. — Clerical  Influence. — Toleration  in  Spain. — 
Protestant  Travellers  and  Prejudices. — Exaggerations,  &c. 

NO  entirely  correct  idea  can  be  given  of  the  state  of  Spain, 
under  her  present  institutions,  without  some  reference 
to  her  ecclesiastical  system.  The  subject,  nevertheless,  is  one 
which  it  is  not  easy  to  touch  without  giving  offence  ;  for  all  ex- 
perience shows  that  the  utmo.st  candor  and  the  best  intentions 
afford  no  security,  in  such  matters,  against  the  harsh  judgment 
of  those  whose  opinions  or  prejudices  are  invaded  by  an  effort 
to  be  faithful  to  the  truth. 

Spain  has  long  been  considered  and  treated,  by  ultra-Protest- 
ant writers,  as  the  reduction  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  to 
an  absurdity.  All  the  errors  and  follies  and  abominations  of 
the  many  despots  who  have  reigned  over  her, — all  the  evils 
that  have  been  entailed  on  her  by  foreign  invasion  and  domestic 
broil, — all  the  obstacles  by  which  nature  and  circumstances  have 
interrupted  the  march  of  her  civilization, — have,  in  their  turn, 
been  set  down  to  the  influence  of  her  clergy,  and  the  pernicious 
32  249 


250  SPAIN. 

doctrines  they  have  taught.  When  public,  or  literary,  or  re- 
ligious opinion  has  once  begun  to  run  in  a  particular  channel, 
observation  generally  takes  the  same  direction.  The  foregone 
couclusion  is  a  sort  of  mould  for  the  facts  which  come  after  it. 
Men  explain  the  phenomena  by  the  theory,  instead  of  correct- 
ing the  theory  by  the  phenomena.  The  religious  view  to  which 
I  have  adverted  has  thus  shaped  the  observation  of  nine- tenths 
of  the  travellers  who  have  visited  Spain  from  Protestant  coun- 
tries. Almost  every  one  of  them  has  contributed  his  statement 
of  illustrative  facts  to  the  common  stock, — many  of  them  in 
the  best  faith, — some  of  them  because  such  things  make  up  a 
lively  and  picturesque  book, — others  because  they  have  dis- 
covered that  nothing  sells  so  well  as  a  little  piquant  unchari- 
tableness.  Of  this  last  the  trade  is  perfectly  aware,  and  can 
calculate  you  the  probabilities  of  the  market  accordingly. 

While  the  anti-Catholic  feeling  thus  induces  a  disposition  to 
resent,  as  too  partial,  the  most  moderately  favorable  view  of 
Spanish  ecclesiastical  matters,  the  Catholic  sentiment,  on  its 
part,  is  somewhat  prone  to  censure  the  concessions  which  im- 
partiality demands.  This  is  natural  enough,  certainly.  By 
systematic  denunciation  of  any  cause,  you  may  readily  provoke 
its  advocates  into  admiration,  or  at  all  events  into  the  sturdiest 
defence,  of  its  very  errors  and  vices.  Every  one  remembers 
what  a  hero  persecution  made  out  of  Wilkes.  But  although 
the  effort  to  write  down  Catholicity,  by  writing  down  Spain, 
may  account  very  satisfactorily  for  the  adverse  feeling  and 
effort  of  the  Catholic  press,  it  furnishes  no  reason  for  blindness 
or  concealment  on  the  part  of  those  who  desire  to  look  at  the 
field  of  controversy  without  favor  or  animosity.  Even  with 
the  profoundest  respect  for  the  faith  which  is  professed  by  Spain 


SPAIN.  251 

as  a  nation,  and  for  the  sincere  convictions  of  those  who  main- 
tain it,  a  man  cannot  read  Spanisli  history,  or  know  the  Spanish 
nation,  and  ignore  the  fact,  that  the  institutions  witli  which  the 
national  religion  has,  until  lately,  been  surrounded,  have  had 
much  to  do  with  the  decay  of  public  prosperity.  To  this  many 
of  the  most  eminent  of  the  Peninsular  divines  and  statesmen 
have  borne  ample  testimony,  on  solemn  public  occasions,  and 
among  intelligent  men  in  Spain  there  is,  at  the  present  day,  no 
difference  of  opinion  in  regard  to  it.  It  is  a  question  entirely 
outside  that  of  faith,  and  is  wisely  and  properly  so  regarded. 
As  to  the  right  and  prudence  of  the  particular  ecclesiastical  re- 
forms which  have  taken  place  since  the  inauguration  of  the 
liberal  system,  there  has  been  and  continues  to  be  much  dispute; 
but,  that  reform  of  some  sort  was  needed,  seems  to  be  the  con- 
cession of  all  parties  whose  opinions  are  worth  recording. 

On  the  other  hand,  again,  I  am  quite  as  well  satisfied,  that 
the  extreme  Protestant  opinion,  so  popular  in  England  and 
this  country,  with  regard  to  Spain,  is  very  much  exaggerated, 
and  has  grossly  magnified  the  abuses  of  the  Spanish  Church, 
as  well  as  unjustly  disparaged  its  clergy.  When  the  various 
ecclesiastical  changes  of  the  century  were  under  consideration, 
the  subject  was  ai)proached  with  all  the  care  which  its  impor- 
tance suggested.  Not  a  step  was  taken  without  full  and  often 
hostile  investigation ;  and  the  members  of  the  liberal  party, 
clerical  as  well  as  lay,  brought  to  light,  without  forbearance 
or  reserve,  all  the  details  which  went  to  show  the  necessity  of 
the  reforms  in  contemplation.  In  a  country  where  there  is  no 
established  religion, — where  every  denomination  is  under  the 
severe  and  constant  scrutiny  of  those  who  entertain  antago- 
uistical  opinions, — it  may  not  always  be  easy  to  arrive,  by 


252  SPAIN. 

confession,  at  the  whole  truth,  when  its  exposure  would  be 
unpleasant.  Men  will  conceal  from  the  criticism  of  opponents 
what  they  have  no  disposition  to  uphold  themselves.  But  in 
Spain  there  was  no  anti-Catholic  organization  to  scrutinize  or 
censure.  If  there  was  no  reason  for  exaggerating,  there  was 
no  temptation  to  soften  down  the  truth.  To  use  their  own 
expressive  phrase, — todo  se  quedo  en  casa, — it  all  remained 
within  doors, — a  family  secret.  Besides  this,  whatever  may 
be  their  habit  when  the  national  pride  is  involved  in  contro- 
versy with  strangers,  the  Spaniards  in  their  domestic  discussions 
are  not  generally  self-flatterers.  They  laugh  at  what  is  ridicu- 
lous among  themselves  with  as  keen  a  relish,  and  denounce 
what  is  worthy  of  denunciation  with  as  healthy  an  earnestness, 
as  if  they  had  no  part  or  lot  in  the  absurdity  or  the  sin.  Not 
even  John  Bull  can  grumble  more  sturdily  than  they,  though 
their  pride  is  perhaps  less  visible  than  his,  through  the  holes 
they  pick  in  their  mantles.  I  allude  to  these  things  for  the 
purpose  of  showing  the  reliance  justly  to  be  placed  upon  the 
estimates  made  by  the  Spaniards  themselves  of  their  ecclesias- 
tical abuses.  I  cannot  but  consider  them  far  better  guides 
than  the  opinions  formed  by  strangers,  upon  observation 
necessarily  limited,  and  not  always  had  from  an  intelligent  or 
impartial  point  of  view.  There  is  a  perverseness,  sometimes, 
in  sectarian  animosity,  which  would  find  apples  of  discord  in 
the  very  garden  of  Eden. 

The  principal  changes  which  the  revolutions  of  this  century 
have  wrought  in  the  Spanish  ecclesiastical  establishment  are 
three, — the  suppression  of  the  Inquisition,  the  abolition  of  the 
monastic  orders,  and  the  assertion  of  a  more  direct  and  absolute 
control  by  the  government  over  the  revenues  and  administrative 


SPAIN.  253 

politv  of  the  Church.  The  decree  levelled  bv  Napoleon  at  the 
Inquisition,  soon  after  his  invasion,  was  of  comparatively  small 
practical  importance, — the  invasion  itself  having  very  sum- 
marily put  an  end,  for  the  time,  to  the  power  and  oppressiveness 
of  the  institution.  The  action,  moreover,  of  a  foreign  and 
intrusive  government,  was  perhaps  more  likely  to  rally  the 
resistance  than  to  conciliate  the  respect  of  the  people,  or  to 
concentrate  their  moral  force  upon  any  reform,  no  matter  how 
salutary  in  itself.  The  movement  in  question  was  nevertheless 
a  useful  precursor  to  the  action  of  the  national  Cortes,  which, 
by  solemn  decree,  in  1813,  pronounced  the  existence  of  the 
Inquisition  incompatible  with  the  constitution.  I  have  already 
alluded  to  the  discussions  which  preceded  the  adoption  of  this 
measure.  They  were  reported,  at  the  time,  in  a  separate 
volume,  unconnected  with  the  ordinary  debates  of  the  Cortes, 
and  had  an  extensive  circulation  and,  I  have  no  doubt,  an 
excellent  effect.  I  know  no  work,  the  perusal  of  which  would 
do  more  towards  the  removal  of  religious  and  political  prejudice 
from  a  candid  mind.  I  have  never  turned  to  it  without  an 
increased  respect  for  the  intelligence  and  liberality  of  the 
Spanish  clergy,  as  well  as  the  political  sagacity,  boldness,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  moderation,  of  the  much  abused  Cortes  of 
that  day. 

With  Ferdinand  the  Seventh,  the  Holv  Office  resumed  its 
sway,  in  1814,  but  having  been  again  suppressed  by  the  con- 
stitutionalists, in  1820,  it  has  never  since  been  revived.  It 
had  in  fact  long  ceased  to  perform  the  bloodier  functions  which 
made  it  most  odious.  An  unhappy  woman,  who  in  1781  was 
burned  at  Seville  as  a  witch,  was  the  last  who  suffered  its  awful 
ministrations.     Her  execution  was  particularly  extraordinary, 


254  SPAIN. 

when  we  consider  the  character  of  the  reigning  monarch,  and 
the  great  liberality  which  distinguished  the  measures  of  his 
government.  It  excited  so  much  abhorrence,  as  to  prevent 
the  possibility  of  a  repetition. 

The  Inquisition  has  been  the  subject  of  such  merited  execra- 
tion from  the  whole  civilized  world,  that  any  attempt  to  qualify 
the  general  estimate  of  its  enormities  is  not  likely  to  receive 
even  fair  consideration.  It  is  nevertheless  proper  to  observe, 
that,  among  the  most  enlightened  and  liberal  of  the  Spaniards, 
the  work  of  Llorente,  on  which  so  much  historical  judgment  is 
predicated,  holds  no  very  high  place  as  a  trustworthy  narrative. 
The  author,  his  compatriots  say,  had  all  the  spirit  of  a  renegade, 
and,  after  having  derived  from  the  Inquisition,  in  its  day,  all 
the  honors  and  profits  of  its  secretaryship,  was  not  unwilling  to 
reap  the  credit  of  candor  and  repentance,  by  exaggerating  the 
sins  to  which  he  had  given  countenance.  Many  of  the  most 
important  records,  on  which  his  statements  profess  to  be  founded, 
were  destroyed  by  him,  under  the  direction  of  Joseph  Bonaparte. 
There  may  have  been  good  reason  for  this,  but  the  result  of  it 
is,  that  the  personal  veracity  of  Llorente  is  the  only  existing 
guaranty  for  the  truth  of  much  that  has  passed  into  history. 
Unfortunately,  however,  for  the  tribunal,  there  is  quite  enough 
known  from  other  sources,  to  make  its  abolition  a  cause  of  just 
delight  to  all  who  sympathize  with  freedom,  or  have  an  interest 
in  the  progress  of  our  race.  That  it  was  in  fact  a  political 
engine,  quite  as  much  as  a  religious  institution, — at  all  events 
of  later  years, — there  is  now,  I  believe,  no  doubt;  and  much 
of  the  odium  which  it  has  thrown  on  the  Church  will,  one  of 
these  days,  I  am  sure,  be  transferred  to  the  State,  which  deserves 
it.     But  no  change  of  historical  opinion  upon  that  point  can 


SPAIN.  255 

weaken  men's  detestation  of  its  principles,  or  palliate  the  ini- 
quity of  its  practices. 

The  measures  of  the  Cortes  of  1813,  in  regard  to  the  Holy 
Office,  were  accompanied  by  corresponding  legislation  with 
respect  to  monastic  institutions.  In  this,  as  in  the  other  case, 
the  initiative  had  been  taken  by  Napoleon  and  the  government 
of  Joseph,  whose  military  resources,  being  entirely  independent 
of  the  popular  prejudices,  and  unaffected  by  the  influence  of 
the  monks  over  the  more  ignorant  portions  of  the  people, 
enabled  them  to  take  boldly,  and  at  once,  a  step  which  would 
have  required  infinite  caution  and  delay  on  the  part  of  the 
revolutionary  authorities.  Even  after  the  movement  made  by 
the  French,  the  Cortes  found  it  necessary  to  deal  tenderly  with 
the  matter,  and  the  provisions  of  their  legislation  in  regard  to 
it  looked  only  to  the  most  prudent  and  gradual  reform.  Such 
as  they  were,  however,  they  were  not  saved  by  their  wisdom 
from  the  destruction  with  which  the  whole  of  the  liberal  system 
was  overwhelmed,  on  the  return  of  Ferdinand.  In  1820,  the 
reform,  thus  interrupted,  was  renewed  and  prosecuted  in  a 
bolder  spirit,  and,  by  way  of  securing  its  permanency,  the 
possessions  of  the  different  orders  were  sold  to  private  pur- 
chasers, under  the  direction  and  with  the  guaranty  of  the 
government. 

It  is  not  proposed  to  enter  here  into  the  vexed  question  as 
to  the  right  of  the  civil  ruler,  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole  of 
the  governed,  to  appropriate  to  the  public  treasury,  or  throw 
into  the  operative  hands  of  individuals,  the  property  lying 
"  dead  "  (as  the  law  has  it)  in  the  possession  of  ecclesiastical 
communities.  In  the  absence  of  any  particular  constitutional 
justification  of  such  measures,  their  propriety  depends,  perhaps, 


256  SPAIN. 

upon  the  simple  and  fundamental  inquiry,  whether  nations, 
like  individuals,  possess  the  right  of  self-preservation.  So  far 
as  the  laws  of  Spain  are  concerned,  the  whole  subject  under- 
went the  most  learned  and  scrupulous  examination  during  the 
reign  of  Charles  the  Third.  The  works  of  Campomanes  and 
Mofiino  (afterwards  Count  of  Floridablanca)  demonstrate,  in 
the  fullest  and  most  satisfactory  manner,  that  the  accumulation 
of  property  in  mortmain  was  in  palpable  violation  of  the  letter 
and  spirit  of  the  fundamental  institutions  of  the  realm.  The 
celebrated  work  of  Jovellanos,  on  the  Ley  Agraria,  published 
in  the  succeeding  reign,  was  equally  demonstrative  of  its 
ruinous  influence  upon  agriculture,  and  the  general  national 
prosperity.  Whether  these  eminent  jurists  and  statesmen  were 
at  fault  or  not  in  their  conclusions,  the  legislation  of  subse- 
quent times  has,  at  all  events,  been  predicated  on  the  assump- 
tion of  their  correctness. 

Upon  the  second  overthrow  of  the  constitutional  party,  in 
1823,  the  monastic  institutions  were  reestablished,  and  the 
whole  of  the  property  which  had  belonged  to  them  was  wrested 
from  the  purchasers  and  their  alienees,  to  be  devoted  to  its 
original  purposes,  without  any  return  of  purchase-money  or 
allowance  for  improvements.  Indeed,  the  parties  in  possession 
were  compelled,  where  the  monks  required  it,  to  restore  the 
whole,  at  their  own  expense,  to  the  condition  in  which  they 
had  purchased  it.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  rights  of  the 
ecclesiastics,  the  iniquity  of  this  proceeding,  so  far  as  the 
government  was  concerned,  is  beyond  apology.  Many  families 
were  ruined  by  it,  and  large  numbers  of  innocent  and  indus- 
trious persons  exposed  to  great  pecuniary  loss.  The  deep  and 
general  resentment  which  it  provoked  was,  however,  directed 


SPAIN.  257 

chiefly  against  the  monks,  and  was  aggravated  in  time,  and 
by  additional  causes  of  dissatisfaction,  into  decided  and  uncom- 
promising hostility.  The  final  overthrow  of  the  monastic 
system,  and  the  stringency  of  the  measures  which  were  adopted 
with  a  view  to  it,  may  be  in  a  great  degree  attributed  to  the 
existence  of  this  feeling  and  its  primary  cause.  The  first  of 
the  3Iodei'a(lo  cabinets  were  disposed  to  temporise  with  the 
subject,  and  attempted  to  legitimate  their  limited  interference 
with  it,  by  some  of  the  articles  of  the  Council  of  Trent.  But 
the  monks,  in  the  mean  time,  took  such  active  and  open  part 
in  the  Carlist  rebellion,  as  to  leave  the  government  no  pretext 
for  casuistry,  and  no  safety  in  forbearance.  Self-preservation 
and  the  popular  pressure  from  without  soon  put  an  end  to 
delay  and  scruples.  The  final  blow  was  stricken,  by  royal 
decree,  in  the  spring  of  1836,  under  the  adniinistration  of 
Mendizabal,  and  the  Cortes,  in  the  summer  of  1837,  gave  to 
the  action  of  the  Executive  the  deliberate  and  authoritative 
sanction  of  the  national  will.  All  convents,  colleges,  and 
communities  of  monks  were  at  once  suppressed,  (with  a  few 
temporary  and  special  exceptions,)  and  the  nunneries  were 
reduced  to  the  smallest  number  capable  of  containing  those  of 
their  inmates  who  were  unwilling  to  reenter  the  world.  The 
prohibition  of  religious  vows,  from  that  time  forth,  insured  the 
gradual  diminution  and  ultimate  extinction  of  the  whole 
monastic  body. 

The  monks  thus  ejected  from  their  cloisters  {exclaustrados, 
as  they  are  called)  passed,  many  of  them  usefully,  into  the 
service  of  religion  as  parish  priests.  Others  remained,  here 
and  there,  in  charge  of  the  churches  belonging  to  their  orders, 
which  were  preserved  as  works  of  art,  or  were  regarded  as 
33 


258  SPAIN. 

essential  to  the  religious  necessities  of  their  neighborhoods. 
The  great  majority  dedicated  themselves  to  such  secular 
employment  as  they  could  procure,  and  many  of  them  grew 
into  useful  and  excellent  citizens ;  while  others,  incapacitated 
by  the  habits  of  long  years,  soon  surrendered  industrious  pur- 
suits for  idleness  and  mendicancy.  The  decree  of  suppression 
provided  for  the  support  of  the  exelaustrados,  out  of  the  fund 
to  be  raised  by  the  sale  of  conventual  property.  It  was, 
however,  but  a  miserable  pittance  at  best, — not  intended,  for 
obvious  reasons,  to  be  altogether  relied  on, — and  it  has  always 
been  paid  with  sad  irregularity.  In  many  cases,  therefore, 
where  private  charity  has  not  interfered,  the  lot  of  the  aged 
and  infirm  monks  and  nuns  has  been  cruelly  destitute.  A  few 
instances  within  my  own  observation  satisfied  me  that,  like 
every  sudden  and  sweeping  change  of  public  policy, — no  mat- 
ter how  just  and  wise  in  itself, — the  reformation  of  conventual 
abuses  has  been  purchased  at  the  expense  of  grievous  individ- 
ual wrong  and  suffering.  But  general  rules,  unhappily,  can 
hardly  be  framed  so  as  to  avoid  particular  results  which  make 
their  application  painful ;  and  the  philanthropy  of  statesmen  is 
not  much  to  be  complained  of,  if  the  aggregate  of  good  is,  on 
the  whole,  upon  its  side. 

The  traveller,  who  looks  at  Spain  from  the  picturesque  point 
of  view,  has  certainly  small  cause  to  thank  the  political  neces- 
sity which  has  removed  the  cord  and  cowl  from  the  dim  cloisters 
where  their  shadows  fell.  Decay  has  commenced  its  work, 
already,  upon  many  of  the  magnificent  temples  which  the  care 
of  the  friars  kept  perfect.  Stately  buildings,  once  wealthily 
endowed,  where  architecture  and  the  kindred  arts  accumulated 
all  their  pomp,  seem  naked  now,  and  are  lonely  and  desolate, 


SPAIN.  259 

without  them.  Gardens  and  groves  wliich  they  tended — plan- 
tations and  vineyards  which  might  have  been  the  heritage  of 
princes — have  been  parcelled  out  among  small  proprietors, 
until  subdivision  seems  to  have  made  them  insignificant. 
Green  patches  of  forest,  rare  in  Spain,  which  their  intelligence 
and  taste  had  induced  them  to  preserve  untouched,  through  all 
their  trilnilations,  have  disappeared,  in  some  places,  before  the 
axe  of  the  lay  proprietor.  Ruined  walls,  dismantled  towers  and 
belfries,  meet  the  eye  of  the  wayfarer  sadly,  as  he  crosses  the 
deserted  plains  or  the  wild  mountains, — making  the  solitude 
and  gloom  of  the  landscape  yet  more  impressive  and  severe. 
On  the  streets,  and  in  the  public  walks  and  places,  the  bright 
colors  of  the  national  costume  are  relieved  no  longer,  for  the 
artist's  joy,  by  the  dark  groups  in  sombre  drapery,  that  used 
to  be  the  theme  of  every  pencil.  A  striking  characteristic  of 
Spanish  scenery  and  life  has  passed  altogether  away. 

But  men  live,  now-a-days,  for  something  more  than  pictures. 
The  monks  had  lost  public  respect,  and  with  it  their  usefulness. 
The  distribution,  which  has  destroyed  the  beauty  of  the  con- 
vent lands,  has  no  doubt  doubled  the  productiveness  of  their 
soil.  The  alms  which  supported  the  monastery,  and  kept  its 
architecture  and  its  ornaments  from  decay,  hav^e  remained  in 
the  peasant's  hands,  for  the  comfort  of  his  family  or  the  im- 
provement of  the  little  spot  he  cultivates.  The  spiritual  in- 
struction of  the  young  and  ignorant  has  become  the  care  of 
the  secular  clergy,  whose  education  and  higher  gifts,  intellectual 
and  moral,  make  the  change  a  national  blessing.  The  impov- 
erished industry  and  neglected  agriculture  of  the  land  have 
received  an  accession  of  vigorous  labor,  no  longer  tempted  into 
sloth  by  the  seductions  of  a  privileged  and  sensual  life.     In 


260  SPAIN. 

the  cities  and  larger  towns,  the  convent  buildings  have  been 
displaced,  to  make  room  for  private  dwellings  of  more  or  less 
convenience  and  elegance,  or  have  been  appropriated  as  public 
offices  or  repositories  of  works  of  art.  The  extensive  grounds, 
which  were  monopolized  by  some  of  the  orders,  in  the  crowded 
midst  of  populous  quarters,  have  been  converted  into  walks  or 
squares,  dedicated  to  the  public  health  and  recreation.  In  a 
word,  what  was  intended,  in  the  beginning,  as  the  object  of  mo- 
nastic endowments,  has  been  to  some  extent  realized.  What 
was  meant  for  the  good  of  all,  though  intrusted  to  a  few,  has  been 
taken  from  the  few  who  used  it  as  their  own,  and  distributed, 
rudely  it  may  be,  but  yet  effectually,  among  the  many  who  were 
entitled  to  and  needed  it. 

The  number  of  the  inmates  of  the  monastic  institutions  in 
Spain  has  been  ridiculously  exaggerated.  Widdringtou  speaks 
of  an  extraordinary  statement  in  the  Edinburgh  Review,  set- 
ting them  down  at  four  hundred  thousand,  some  twenty  years 
ago  ;  and  the  reader  will  probably  remember  estimates,  almost 
as  remarkable,  in  the  books  of  statistics  to  which  he  may  have 
referred.  According  to  the  Count  of  Toreno,  there  were,  in 
1808,  at  the  time  of  the  French  invasion,  92,727  religious  in 
Spain  including  monks,  nuns,  lay  brethren  and  sisters,  ser- 
vants, and  dependents.  When  the  measures  of  suppression 
■were  adopted,  there  were,  by  the  estimate  of  Mellado,  about 
twenty-six  hundred  convents  in  all,  being  at  least  five  hundred 
less  than  at  the  epoch  of  which  Toreno  speaks.  Their  in- 
mates, according  to  the  best  accessible  information,  did  not 
much  exceed  forty  thousand  in  number,  in  1836,  and  of  these 
about  thirteen  thousand  were  nuns.  In  his  notes  to  the 
translation  of  the  statistical  work  of  Moreau  de  Jonnes,  pub- 


SPAIN.  261 

lished  in  1835,  Don  Pascual  Madoz  carries  the  number  of 
religious  beyond  ninety  thousand  ;  but  his  estimate  is  founded 
on  the  census  of  1797,  which  it  would  seem  strange  that  he 
sliould  have  adopted,  were  it  not  that  the  extensive  data  which 
it  furnished  gave  additional  strength  to  the  Progresista  side  of 
the  then  excited  Church  controversy.  So  true  it  is  that  fig- 
ures, which  according  to  the  common  proverb  "  cannot  lie," 
are  invariably  found,  in  political  dispute,  to  arrive  as  nearly 
at  the  reputed  impossibility,  as  the  purposes  of  the  disputants 
may  require. 

That,  according  to  the  most  moderate  and  probable  view 
of  the  facts,  there  should,  in  a  population  of  not  more  than 
twelve  millions,  have  been  forty  thousand  persons  withdrawn 
from  those  practical  and  substantial  duties  which,  in  the  order 
ot"  Providence,  are  a  part  of  the  destiny  and  obligation  of  every 
human  creature,  and  from  which  no  state  can  safely  or  con- 
sistently discharge  its  citizens, — is  quite  justification  enough 
for  the  legislative  action  which  put  an  end  to  such  a  drain 
on  the  public  industry,  and  such  a  check  on  production,  pop- 
ulation, and  wealth.  The  "  descansada  vida  "  of  Fray  Luis 
de  Leon — a  life  of  mystic  reverie  and  contemplation — may 
not  be  inconsistent  with  the  social  uses  of  humanity,  in  the 
few  whose  genius  or  temperament,  like  his,  suggests  it.  In 
them  it  may  be  but  the  nurse  of  lofty  and  poetic  thought,  the 
prompter  of  religious  musings,  which  may  delight  and  teach 
mankind.  But  for  the  most  of  men,  the  "  mundanal  ruido," 
— the  worldly  noise, — the  echo  of  the  thoughts  and  feelings, 
the  labors,  hopes,  and  sufferings  of  other  men, — is  needful  to 
prevent  their  hearkening  only  to  the  eternal  whispering  of  self. 
Contemplation,  pursued  as  a  calling  in  life,  is  apt  to  degenerate 


262  SPAIN. 

into  a  trade.  Its  sphere  in  a  Carthusian's  cell  cannot  be  a 
very  wide  one,  nor  its  objects  many  or  healthful.  It  would 
be  but  poor  astronomy  to  have  one's  observatory  in  the  bottom 
of  a  well, — poor  philosophy  to  suppose  truth  was  only  to  be 
found  there  !  When  I  visited  the  Escorial,  a  tottering  sacris- 
tan, who  showed  us  the  Pantheon  of  the  kings,  said,  in  a 
melancholy,  humble  tone, — which  vividly  recalled  Sterne's 
old  Franciscan, — that  he  had  been  thrice  exdaustrado,  and  yet 
trusted  in  the  mercy  of  God  !     A  friend  informed  me,  almost 

in  the  same  connection,  that  he  had  seen  the  Padre ,  a 

distinguished  and  irreproachable  brother  of  the  same  monas- 
tery, dance  the  polka  after  his  secularization,  with  all  imagin- 
able glee.  Here  were  the  two  extremes, — the  man  of  the 
tombs  and  the  man  of  the  world.  I  could  not  help  thinking 
that  the  mercy  of  God  was  as  likely  to  be  with  him  who  trod 
the  earth  cheerfully,  as  with  him  whose  thoughts,  like  his 
occupation,  were  in  the  mansions  of  decay  beneath  it. 

In  the  series  of  legislative  measures  which  the  ecclesiastical 
reformation  of  Sj^ain  required,  the  estates  which  had  been 
accumulated  by  the  Church  proper  were  of  too  great  impor- 
tance to  be  overlooked.  Indeed,  the  movements  which  began 
during  the  reign  of  Charles  the  Third  were  rather  in  regard 
to  the  property  held  by  the  secular  clergy,  than  that  belonging 
to  the  monastic  establishments.  The  views  of  Campomanes 
and  Mofiino  took  this  direction  chiefly ;  and  although  Jovel- 
lanos  afterwards  carried  out  his  opinions  to  the  extent  of  their 
legitimate  application,  it  will  be  observed  that  he  touched  the 
question  of  convent  property  with  a  somewhat  lighter  hand 
than  that  which  he  laid  on  the  domains  of  the  Church.  The 
truth  is,  that  the  monastic  orders,  being  in  ftict  the  soldiers 


iiPAIN.  263 

of  the  Holy  Office,  were  most  especially  under  its  protection  ; 
and  it  was  not  prudent,  if  safe,  even  under  the  enlightened 
government  of  Charles,  to  prov^oke  so  formidable  an  enemy. 
Moderate  and  guarded  as  they  were,  it  required  all  the  favor 
of  the  throne  to  protect  Campomanes  and  Floridablanca  from 
the  storm  which  the  honesty  and  conclusiveness  of  their  expo- 
sitions had  raised.  Indeed,  the  latter  of  these  distinguished 
men — after  the  death  of  the  monarch  to  the  glory  of  whose 
reign  and  the  good  of  whose  people  he  had  contributed  so 
much — was  made  to  taste  the  bitterness  of  persecution,  im- 
prisonment, and  want.  That  the  same  fate  attended  Jovellanos 
might  be  inferred  from  the  customary  history  of  his  nation's 
benefactors,  even  if  the  details  of  his  sufferings  and  wrongs 
were  not  a  well-known  portion  of  the  annals  of  those  davs. 

A  royal  decree,  promulgated  in  1798,  upon  the  suggestion 
of  Jovellanos  in  the  Report  of  which  I  have  spoken,  had  laid 
tlie  foundation  of  a  permanent  change  in  the  administration  of 
Church  property.  It  directed  the  sale  of  the  real  estate 
belonging  to  hospitals,  brotherhoods,  &c.,  and  the  investment 
of  the  proceeds  in  the  public  funds  for  the  benefit  of  those 
establishments.  It  likewise  invited  the  higher  clergy,  as  a 
matter  of  policy  and  patriotism,  to  dispose  of  the  property 
attached  to  the  various  Church  foundations  under  their  control, 
and  to  pursue  the  same  course  of  investment  with  the  moneys 
to  be  realized  therefrom.  This  decree  was  approved  by  the 
Court  of  Rome,  and  carried  into  effect  for  a  while  with  con- 
siderable energy  ;  but  the  consummation  of  its  benefits  was 
arrested  by  the  invasion  of  1808,  and  the  policy  which  had 
dictated  it  was  not  revived  until  the  meeting  of  the  constitu- 
tional Cortes,  in  1820.     By  a  decree  of  the  last-named  body, 


264  SPAIN. 

reenacted  in  1836,  the  future  acquisition  of  estates  in  mortmain, 
under  any  pretext,  was  finally  forbidden.  In  connection  with 
this,  and  with  the  anti-monastic  legislation  already  referred  to, 
the  property  of  the  churches,  chapters,  brotherhoods,  and  other 
bodies  of  the  secular  clergy,  passed,  in  due  course,  into  the 
possession  of  the  state.  As  a  part  of  the  same  system,  tithes, 
first-fruits,  and  all  ecclesiastical  dues  whatever  were  absolutely 
abolished,  so  that  the  clergy  were  cut  off  from  any  immediate 
reliance  on  the  people,  and  from  all  right  to  enforce  contribu- 
tions. The  state  thus  became  the  fountain  of  Church  patron- 
age, assuming  the  support  of  the  altar,  and  taxes  for  culto  y 
clero  (worship  and  clergy)  were  added  from  that  time  forth  to 
the  list  of  imposts  for  the  ordinary  purposes  of  government. 
In  the  budget  of  1850,  nearly  seven  millions  of  dollars  were 
appropriated  to  this  head,  besides  about  a  million  dedicated  to 
the  support  of  the  nuns  who  still  remained  in  their  convents. 
When  I  was  in  Spain,  there  was  a  mixed  commission,  appointed 
by  the  Pope  and  the  government,  whose  labors  have  resulted 
in  the  concordat  of  March,  1851.  By  that  instrument,  all 
titles  acquired  under  previous  sales  of  Church  property  are 
confirmed,  but  the  portions  remaining  unsold  are  restored, 
with  a  provision,  however,  for  their  future  alienation  and  the 
investment  of  the  proceeds  in  stock.  The  right  of  the  Church 
proper  to  acquire  real  estate  is,  in  some  sort,  revived,  and 
certain  orders  of  nuns  are  reestablished.  The  suppression  of 
the  monks  is  finally  acquiesced  in, — although  the  return  of 
the  Jesuits  has  since  been  allowed.  The  settlement  has  not 
been  satisfactory  to  either  of  the  political  parties,  but  it  has 
compromised,  at  least  for  the  present,  many  long-vexed 
questions. 


SPAIN.  265 

When  the  state  assumed  to  provide  for  the  support  of  the 
clergy,  their  incomes  were  of  course  reduced.  There  was  great 
room  for  such  reduction, — the  receipts  of  the  arclibisiiops, 
bishops,  and  other  prelates  of  high  rank,  being  then  generally 
large,  and  in  some  cases  enormous,  with  reference  to  the  con- 
dition of  the  country.  The  present  scale  is  sufficiently  high 
for  their  proper  and  decorous  support,  although  the  irreg- 
ularity with  which  the  salaries  were  paid,  particularly  to  the 
lower  clergy,  was  any  thing  but  creditable,  and  tended  to  throw 
upon  the  ecclesiastical  policy  of  the  liberal  party  a  certain 
amount  of  that  unpopularity  which  is  the  proper  and  inevi- 
table result  of  injustice.  If  the  interests  of  the  public  demand 
that  the  state  should  control  the  finances  of  the  Church,  the 
simplest  good  faith  of  course  requires  that  they  should  be 
honestly  administered.  Above  all,  there  should  be  fair  deal- 
ing with  a  dependent  class,  who  have  now  no  remedy  but 
patience  and  resignation.  There  is  no  point  of  view  in  which 
it  can  be  either  proper  or  expedient  that  the  ministers  of  the 
altar  should  be  hindered,  by  want,  in  the  performance  of  their 
sacred  functions,  or  be  exposed,  by  the  faithlessness  of  the 
civil  power,  to  personal  humiliation  and  distress. 

Although  the  number  of  the  secular  clergy,  like  that  of  the 
monks,  has  been  immensely  exaggerated,  out  of  Spain,  there 
is  yet  no  doubt  that  it  has  generally  been,  and  still  is,  larger 
than  the  religious  necessities  of  the  people  can  justify.  This 
is,  in  some  degree,  the  result  of  a  church  establishment,  conse- 
crated by  the  universal  opinion  of  the  nation,  and  upheld  by 
the  power  and  prestige  of  the  government.  It  owes  some- 
thing, likewise,  to  the  devotional  tendency  of  the  Spaniards, 
and  their  disposition  to  surround  the  depository  of  their  faith 
34 


266  SPAIN. 

with  all  the  dignity  and  influence  of  a  numerous  clergy.  As 
a  democratic  institution,  too, — in  the  midst  of  a  monarchy, — 
with  its  honors  and  wealth  and  power  accessible  to  all,  the 
Church  has  necessarily  attracted  that  extensive  class  whose 
aspirations  have  been  checked  in  other  quarters  by  the  lack  of 
family  and  fortune.  But,  quite  as  mu(;h  as  to  these  causes, 
the  overgrown  service  of  the  Church  may  be  traced  to  those 
general  circumstances  which  have  depressed  the  industry  and 
crippled  the  agriculture  and  commerce  of  the  nation, — thereby 
diminishing  the  sources  of  respectable  occupation,  and  throw- 
ing so  many  of  the  educated  youth  into  the  few  remaining 
channels  of  advancement.  In  this  connection  it  may  properly 
be  observed,  that  the  suppression  of  the  monastic  orders,  so 
beneficial  in  so  many  regards,  has  not  been  altogether  without 
consequences  which  are  temporarily  hurtful.  It  put  an  end 
to  a  respectable  mode  of  subsistence  for  many  thousands,  at  a 
time  when  the  tardy  development  of  the  national  resources 
created  no  sufficient  demand  for  their  labor  in  any  other 
department.  I  speak  not  merely  of  those  who  had  already 
assumed  the  monastic  habit,  but  of  the  large  number  of  young 
men  whose  families  looked  forward  to  the  convents  as  a  credit- 
able mode  of  providing  for  their  future  maintenance.  In  time, 
and  as  the  resources  of  the  nation  shall  be  developed,  legitimate 
methods  of  support — involving  labor  and  not  idleness,  contrib- 
uting to  the  national  wealth,  instead  of  consuming  it — will 
fill  the  void  thus  created.  But  for  the  present  the  reform  has 
greatly  swollen  the  innumerable  caravan  of  'pretendientes,  who 
beset  the  capital  and  every  source  of  public  patronage.  It 
has  increased  the  virulence  of  party  to  an  unwonted  extent, 
bv  rendering  the  bread  of  so  many  dependent  upon  their  access 


SPAIN.  267 

to  favor.  It  lias  diminished  the  chances  of  a  regular  and 
uninterrupted  system  of  government,  by  making  it  the  interest 
of  so  many  to  pull  down  whatever  stands  between  them  and 
the  treasury,  and  to  exercise  power,  while  they  hold  it,  for 
purposes  exclusively  personal  to  themselves  and  their  friends. 
Many  a  young  gentleman  in  yellow  gloves,  who  holds  them 
and  his  cigar  by  the  tenure  of  two  hours'  dawdling  in  a  public 
office,  and  four  hours'  lounging  on  the  Calle  de  la  Montera, 
— and  many  another,  who  among  the  humbler  crowds  in  the 
Puerta  del  Sol,  with  his  threadbare  cloak  hiding  much  poverty 
and  hunger,  catches  the  tidings  of  a  ministerial  crisis,  as  a 
maiden  hears  love-music  at  midnight, — would  have  been  Padre 
Gi'egoriOy  or  Padre  Benito,  in  former  times,  blessed  in  basket 
and  scrip.  There  may  be  some  doubt  whether  he  is  not  quite 
as  undesirable  a  functionary  in  his  present  shape,  as  he  would 
have  been  in  his  cowl ;  but,  at  all  events,  there  is  nothing  about 
him  too  sacred  to  be  meddled  with,  if  need  be,  and  there  is 
some  chance  of  his  being  useful,  should  the  future  give  him 
an  opi)ortunity. 

Whatever  may  have  been  said,  and  with  truth,  of  the  in- 
tellectual and  moral  estimate  properly  to  be  formed  of  the 
monks,  there  has  been,  it  must  be  admitted,  but  little  cause  to 
complain  of  the  secular  clergy.  With  those  exceptions  which 
the  temptations  and  privileges  of  an  establishment  necessarily 
produce  and  encourage  in  all  countries,  the  Spanish  Church — 
abstracted  from  the  monastic  orders — has  faithfully  and  ably 
discharged  its  duty  to  religion  and  society.  The  most  inde- 
pendent and  decided  advocates  of  the  reforms  which  have 
corrected  its  abuses  have  borne  this  tribute  to  its  merits ;  and, 
even  among  the  most  radical  Progre^istas  I  have  met,  I  have 


268  SPAIN. 

never  heard  its  justice  disputed.  Of  the  distinguished  literary 
men  whom  the  nation  has  produced,  —  poets,  historians, 
scholars, — some  of  the  first  have  sprung  from  the  bosom  of 
the  Church.  In  contests  where  freedom  has  been  involved, 
there  have  always  been  champions  for  the  right  among  the 
leaders  of  the  clergy.  In  the  Councils  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  among  its  theologians,  the  Spanish  priesthood 
have  always  occupied  the  first  rank.  How  much  was  due 
to  them,  in  the  infancy  of  European  civilization,  the  enthu- 
siastic commentary  of  M.  Guizot  on  the  Councils  of  Toledo 
will  illustrate.  Almost  all  the  monuments  of  real  and  lasting 
charity  to  be  found  in  the  Peninsula,  attest  the  sincerity  and 
constancy  of  their  devotion  to  the  practical  spirit  of  Christi- 
anity. Lord  Clarendon,  for  so  many  years  Ambassador  at 
Madrid,  declared  in  the  House  of  Lords,  in  1839,  that  during 
his  residence  at  that  capital  he  had  heard  in  the  Cortes,  "  from 
the  lips  of  Catholic  prelates  in  that  assembly,  sentiments  of 
Christian  charity  as  pure,  and  dictated  by  as  entire  a  spirit 
of  toleration,  as  he  had  ever  heard  in  their  Lordships'  House." 
An  English  historian  of  reputation  ^  does  not  hesitate  to  admit 
that  the  Spanish  secular  clergy  will  sustain,  honorably,  a  com- 
parison with  the  priesthood  of  the  Church  of  England.  The 
testimony  of  Widdrington,  after  long  years  of  patient  and 
impartial  observation  in  all  parts  of  the  Peninsula,  is  hearty 
and  comprehensive,  as  to  the  individual  worth  and  usefulness 
of  the  clergy  proper,  and  the  marked  distinction  between 
them  and  the  religious  orders,  in  character,  ability,  and  public 
estimation.  It  is  but  proper  for  me  to  make  these  statements, 
so  that  what  I  have  said  may  create  no  unjust  impression,  and 

^  History  of  Spain,  Cabinet  Cyclopsedia,  Vol.  V,  p.  258. 


SPAIN.  269 

that  the  distinction  may  be  fairly  drawn  between  the  external 
and  accidental  institutions  whicii  have  surrounded  the  religion 
of  Spain,  and  the  influence  which  its  tenets  and  teachers  have 
had,  in  tiieir  legitimate  province,  upon  the  national  mind 
and  heart. 

The  history  of  former  times  must  speak  for  itself;  but  I 
think  there  is  very  small  foundation,  now,  for  the  common 
impression,  that  Spain  is  what  we  are  accustomed  to  call 
"  priest-ridden."  Whatever  may  be  the  cause, — whether  it  be 
the  fault  of  the  clergy,  or  of  circumstances,  or  of  a  relapse 
from  the  ancient  fervor  of  the  national  enthusiasm  in  such 
matters, — certain  it  is,  that  the  Church  has  not  at  this  moment 
any  decided  control  over  the  popular  mind.  In  the  rural 
districts,  among  the  more  ignorant  and  uneducated  of  the 
people,  the  priesthood,  no  doubt,  exercise  that  sort  of  influence 
with  which  superior  intelligence  and  the  nature  of  their  calling 
must  of  necessity  clothe  them, — an  influence  certainly  legiti- 
mate, and  desirable  unless  abused.  But  there  is  nothing  in  the 
history  of  the  times  to  show  that  it  passes,  even  there,  beyond 
the  limits  which  properly  belong  to  it.  So  far  as  the  educated 
classes  are  concerned, — those  who  control  the  opinion  of  the 
nation  and  regulate  its  political  progression, — there  is  as  much 
independence  of  clerical  domination  as  could  be  desired. 
Indeed,  I  am  not  altogether  sure  that  there  is  not  a  jealousy 
of  it,  which  sometimes  leads  to  injustice  and  folly.  I  am 
satisfied,  that  in  the  United  States,  where  freedom  of  judgment 
on  such  questions  is  unlimited,  the  influence  of  the  clergy 
upon  public  opinion  and  the  press,  gives  them  a  dominion 
over  public  action,  which  the  Church  of  S])ain,  with  all  its 
prescriptions  and  organizations,  cannot  at  this  day  pretend  to 


270  SPAIN. 

rival.  This  conclusion  is  drawn  as  to  Spain,  not  merely  from 
my  own  limited  observation,  but  from  what  was  told  me  by 
those  who  had  the  amplest  opportunities  of  knowing,  and  from 
the  tone  and  style  in  which  ecclesiastical  matters  were  handled 
by  the  various  journals  of  Madrid.  Of  course,  in  speaking  of 
the  influence  of  the  clergy  in  this  country,  I  do  not  refer  to 
any  supposed  ability  of  theirs  to  govern  the  public  mind  for 
sectarian  purposes ;  but  simply  of  their  power,  as  a  class,  over 
public  sentiment  and  those  who  move  its  tides.  In  this,  I 
repeat  that  I  have  no  doubt  of  their  advantage  over  the 
Peninsular  clergy.  If  clerical  opinion  had  been  potent,  the 
Carlist  war  would  have  had  a  far  different  conclusion,  and  the 
legislative  measures  which  have  formed  the  principal  subject 
of  this  chapter  would  never  have  approached  their  consum- 
mation. That  the  rebellion  ended  as  it  did,  and  that  the 
Church  is  now  a  stipendiary  of  the  state,  ought  to  satisfy  the 
most  sceptical  that  ecclesiastical  despotism  is  not  a  present 
evil.  The  same  facts  may  indeed  suggest  a  serious  doubt, 
whether  the  Church,  independently  of  the  state  and  unsup- 
ported by  its  power,  had  ever  the  sway  which  has  been 
ascribed  to  it,  or  deserves  the  whole  of  the  responsibilities 
which  are  commonly  attached  to  it. 

Much  is  said,  by  travellers,  of  religious  intolerance  in  Spain, 
and  the  matter  deserves  a  cursory  notice  in  this  connection. 
Toleration  by  law  certainly  does  not  exist  there.  The  Catholic 
is,  by  the  constitution  and  the  concordat,  the  religion  of  the 
state,  and  no  other  form  of  worship  is  allowed.  That  this  is 
narrow,  behind  the  age,  and  unbecoming  any  government 
which  wears  the  semblance  of  liberality,  it  is  unnecessary  to 
say.     But  at  the  same  time  it  is  fair  to  observe,  that  upon  the 


SPAIN.  271 

Spaniards,  such  a  provision  works  no  hardship.  The  nation 
is  Catholic,  sincerely,  devotedly,  and  thoroughly,  and  a  consti- 
tution predicated  upon  any  other  idea  would  be  regarded  as  an 
imputation  and  an  anomaly.  The  prohibition  affects  no  one 
prejudicially,  except  the  strangers  who  are  called  to  the  Penin- 
sula by  business  or  pleasure,  and  their  numl)er  has  been  here- 
tofore so  small,  that  it  is  not  singular  they  should  have  been 
left  out  of  the  account.  When  the  commerce  of  the  nation 
increases,  and  the  influx  of  foreigners  becomes  greater, — as 
from  year  to  year  it  necessarily  must  be, — we  must  hope  that 
the  ban  will  be  removed,  which,  merely  nominal  as  it  now 
practically  is,  can  only  be  regarded  as  a  vicious  relic  of  bad 
times  and  principles. 

But  though  the  constitution  does  not  tolerate,  the  people 
certainly  do,  in  the  most  important  sense  of  the  word.  A 
stranger  might  pass  a  year  in  any  part  of  Spain  that  I  have 
visited,  without  hearing  a  single  inquiry  as  to  his  religious 
opinions,  or  being  troubled  by  one  impertinent  interference 
with  the  entire  freedom  of  his  religious  action.  If  a  man 
assists  at  any  religious  service  or  ceremonial,  he  is  required  to 
take  no  more  than  that  respectful  and  decorous  part,  which 
good  breeding,  of  itself,  would  suggest  to  every  gentleman. 
Whether  he  will  assist  or  not,  is  a  matter  entirely  within  his 
discretion.  No  one  will  notice  his  absence, — certainly  no  one 
will  remind  him  of  it.  Now  and  then  he  may  meet  a  clergy- 
man upon  the  street,  with  the  viaticum,  and  he  will  be  expected 
to  kneel,  or  at  all  events  uncover,  as  it  passes.  If  his  piety  or 
his  convictions  forbid  him  to  do  this,  he  can  get  himself  into 
a  doorway  or  a  by-street,  where  he  will  find  some  very  good 
Catholics,  doing  the  same  thing,  on  account  of  their  knees, 


272  SPAIN. 

Avhich  he  is  doiug  for  his  conscience.  If  this  is  not  satis- 
factory, he  ought  to  proceed  homeward  at  once ;  but  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  in  such  case  he  will  say  nothing  about  toleration. 
I  am  sorry  to  record  it, — but  my  observation  of  Protestant 
travellers,  generally,  in  Catholic  countries  has  been,  that  many 
of  them  claim  the  privilege  of  showing  on  all  occasions  their 
contempt  for  the  religion  of  those  about  them.  I  have  seen  it 
attempted,  and  indeed  carried  out,  over  and  over  again, — by 
persons  who  had  every  obligation  to  know  better, — in  Catho- 
lic cathedrals,  and  during  the  most  solemn  acts  of  public 
devotion.  Being  no  Catholic  myself,  I  claim  to  say  this  with- 
out prejudice.  In  Spain,  such  things  will  not  be  permitted. 
The  people  themselves  generally  participate  in  the  services  of 
their  Church  with  all  solemnity,  and  they  insist  that  those 
who  desire  to  witness  their  celebration  should  at  least  abstain 
from  the  manifestation  of  irreverence. 

During  two  visits  to  Spain, — not  very  long,  it  is  true,  but 
quite  long  enough  to  give  me  some  opportunities  of  observa- 
tion,— I  do  not  remember  to  have  heard  a  single  remark 
made,  which  ought  to  have  wounded  the  sensibility  of  any 
sincere  but  rational  Protestant.  No  one  ever  attempted  to 
engage  me  in  controversy  upon  religious  matters,  or  to  annoy 
me  by  the  remotest  suggestion  of  heresy  or  schism.  Every 
one  seemed  willing  to  take  his  own  chance,  and  to  allow  me 
the  same  privilege.  By  some,  this  would  be  set  down  to  in- 
difference ;  but  it  certainly  was  not  bigotry,  and  I  was  well 
satisfied  to  take  it  for  enlightened  toleration.  Some  of  the 
more  zealous  Spaniards  themselves  would  sometimes  say  that 
the  religious  feeling  of  the  nation  had  diminished, — that  luke- 
warmness  had  of  late  grown  general  among  the  people.     I  was 


SPAIN.  273 

inclined  to  think  that  the  remark  was  just;  but  I  was  still 
quite  willing  to  reciprocate  the  non-intervention  with  which  I 
was  favored,  and  allow  them  to  take  their  devotion  at  any 
temperature  they  preferred. 


35 


xxiy. 

Education. — Statistics. — System  of  Instruction. — Schools. — Univer- 
sities.—Census  OP  1803. — University  of  Madrid — of  Alcala. — 

COMPLUTENSIAN  PoLYGLOT. — MANUSCRIPTS. — PrESCOTT'S  FeRDINAND 

AND  Isabella. — Sabau's  Translation  of  it. 

IF  a  traveller  is  enterprising  and  industrious,  there  are  few 
countries  in  which  he  will  find  it  difficult  to  visit  univer- 
sities and  schools,  look  over  collegiate  courses,  and  collect 
educational  statistics.  Spain,  however,  is  not  a  statistical  land. 
There  is  no  organized  or  thorough  system  there  for  the 
ascertainment  of  numerical  facts,  so  that  even  the  ostensible 
illustration  which  those  deceptive  materials  afford  must,  in  a 
great  degree,  be  wanting  to  any  record  of  Peninsular  observa- 
tion. Statistics,  nevertheless,  at  the  best,  are  but  a  poor 
apology  for  real  information  as  to  the  state  of  national 
instruction.  The  diffusion  and  the  degree  of  knowledge  are 
things  so  widely  different,  that  the  one,  which  figures  may 
readily  express,  furnishes  but  little  clew  to  the  other,  which 
they  cannot, — though  it  is  so  much  better  worth  the  knowing. 
The  line  between  the  man  who  can  neither  read  nor  write  and 
his  neighbor  who  can  barely  do  either,  is  certainly  as  near  as 
need  be  to  a  mathematical  line,  in  the  matter  of  breadth ;  and 
yet  a  statistical  table  will  make  its  widest  distinction  between 
274 


SPAIN.  275 

these,  while  it  will  draw  none  between  the  profoundest  scholar 
and  the  emptiest  sciolist  in  rudiments.  It  is  as  if,  to  describe 
the  condition  of  the  arts  in  any  nation,  the  annalist  were  to 
divide  the  people  into  two  classes, — those  who  could  paint  and 
those  who  could  not.  The  favored  class  might  be  all  Raphaels 
or  Murillos,  and  they  might  be  all  sign-painters,  quite  as  well. 

Nor  does  the  visitation  of  seminaries  of  learning,  or  an 
examination  of  the  routine  which  they  profess  to  follow,  afford 
results  that  are  much  more  valuable.  Education  is  like  war. 
A  good  plan  of  a  campaign  is  an  excellent  thing,  but  victories, 
generally,  are  won  by  good  fighting.  A  limited  course,  well 
taught,  makes  better  scholars  than  the  amplest,  not  half  carried 
out.  It  is  not  in  what  they  profess  to  teach,  that  the  schools 
of  the  present  day  are  apt  to  be  defective.  If  there  be  any 
fault  in  that  particular,  it  is  that  they  promise  too  much ;  and 
indeed  attempt  too  much,  likewise.  It  is  the  execution,  there- 
fore,— not  the  plan, — which  must  be  observed,  if  the  observa- 
tion is  to  be  worth  anything  ;  and  only  he  who  makes  the 
experiment  can  fairly  know  how  long  and  constant  that 
observation  must  be,  to  entitle  it  to  real  confidence.  The 
imperfect  data  which  follow  are  consequently  given  to  the 
reader,  with  the  fullest  persuasion  of  their  insufficiency  as  a 
basis  for  any  accurate  appreciation  of  the  state  of  mental 
culture  in  Spain. 

It  has  already  been  said,  that,  by  the  constitution  of  1812, 
the  education  of  the  people  was  made  obligatory  on  the  govern- 
ment. Title  X.  provided  that  primary  schools  should  be 
opened  in  all  the  towns  of  the  realm,  and  that  universities  and 
other  institutions  for  instruction  in  literature,  science,  and  the 
arts,    should    be   established    wherever    it    might    be    found 


276  SPAIN. 

expedient.  The  Cortes  were  charged  with  the  duty  of  form- 
ing a  proper  system,  subject  only  to  the  restrictions  that  the 
plan  of  instruction  should  be  uniform  throughout  the  country, 
and  that  the  constitution  should  be  taught  and  expounded  in 
every  establishment  opened  for  public  education.  A  Directory, 
to  be  composed  of  suitable  persons,  was  created  to  superintend 
and  regulate  the  working  of  the  whole.  It  was  of  course 
impossible  that  a  system  could  mature  sufficiently  for  bene- 
ficial results  of  any  extent,  during  the  several  brief  reigns  of 
the  constitution  of  1812.  Nevertheless,  the  work  was  under- 
taken and  prosecuted,  in  good  faith,  by  the  ablest  men  of  the 
country ;  the  Directory  was  organized ;  plans  of  study  were 
prescribed,  and  the  machinery  was  set  in  motion,  as  well  as 
might  be,  under  the  innumerable  disadvantages  which  sur- 
rounded the  movement. 

The  system  which  now  exists  went  into  operation  in  1847, 
when  the  "  Department  of  Commerce,  Instruction,  and  Public 
Works"  was  created  by  royal  decree.  The  appropriations 
called  for  by  the  budget  of  1850  dedicated  nearly  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars  to  the  branch  of  "  Instruction  " 
alone.  Exclusive  of  private  establishments  of  all  classes,  there 
are  ten  universities  and  forty-nine  institutes  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  government.  The  primary  and  other  schools 
through  the  whole  kingdom  reach  the  number  of  about  sixteen 
thousand.  Besides  the  institutions  thus  devoted  to  general 
and  ordinary  education,  there  are  many  in  the  cities,  where 
only  particular  branches  are  taught, — such  as  Commerce, 
Drawing,  Architecture,  Chemistry,  Mathematics,  &c.  Of 
these,  some  are  provided  for  by  the  government,  and  others 
are  under  the  direction  and  supported  by  the  patronage  of  the 


SPAIN.  277 

Boards  of  Trade,  and  the  various  literary  and  economical  socie- 
ties. Independently  of  the  funds  supplied  by  the  state,  a 
moderate  contribution  is  exacted  from  those  pupils  whose  cir- 
cumstances render  it  proper  to  call  on  them;  but  education  is 
strictly  gratuitous,  in  all  its  departments,  where  the  parties  are 
really  destitute. 

No  impediment  is  thrown  by  law  in  the  way  of  private 
teachers, — except  that  they  are  required  to  produce  certain 
certificates  of  good  character  and  conduct,  and  of  having  gone 
through  a  prescribed  course,  which  is  more  or  less  extensive, 
in  proportion  to  the  rank  of  the  institution  they  may  desire  to 
open.  It  will  not  be  easy  to  invent  any  system,  by  which 
B6ranger's 

"Vieux  maitre  d'^cole, 
Fier  d'enseigner  ce  qu'il  ne  savait  pas," 

can  be  altogether  got  rid  of.  The  effort  to  diminish  the  chances 
of  his  appearance  is  nevertheless  a  praiseworthy  one;  and 
while  priests  and  pilots,  physicians,  lawyers,  and  lieutenants, 
are,  for  the  most  part,  required  to  undergo  an  examination,  be- 
fore they  are  permitted  to  take  the  destinies  of  the  public  into 
their  keeping,  it  is  difficult  to  understand  upon  what  principle 
the  school-house,  which  is  the  nursery  of  all  arts,  should  be 
flung  open  to  all  comers. 

By  the  best  statistical  estimates,  it  appears  that,  in  1850, 
the  number  of  pupils  in  the  public  schools  alone  (exclusive  of 
the  universities  and  institutes)  was  in  the  proportion  of  one  to 
seventeen  of  the  whole  population.  About  1,100,000  was  set 
down  as  the  number  of  persons  then  in  Spain  who  could  read, 
— the  whole  population  being  about  12,135,000,  and  the  ratio 
therefore  as  one  to  eleven.     Limited  as  this  scale  may  appear, 


278  SPAIN. 

it  nev^ertheless  takes  quite  another  aspect  when  compared  with 
the  estimates  of  Moreau  de  Jonnfe,  based  on  the  census  of 
1803,  and  not  very  materially  varied  in  1835,  if  we  may  judge 
from  the  notes  of  Madoz,  appended  to  his  translation  of  M.  de 
Jonn^s's  work.  Out  of  a  population  of  10,250,000,  in  1803, 
the  number  of  students  in  all  the  educational  establishments 
of  the  kingdom  did  not  exceed  30,000,  or  about  one  to  every 
340  inhabitants.  This  extraordinary  change — for  it  is  extra- 
ordinary, statistical  merely  though  its  evidences  be — has  been 
mainly  wrought  within  the  last  twenty  years,  by  a  small 
minority  of  thinking,  educated  men,  struggling  against  a  mass 
comparatively  ignorant  and  open  to  all  the  influences  for 
which  ignorance  paves  the  way.  It  has  been  wrought,  under 
institutions  only  partially  liberal,  in  the  midst  of  civil  strife, 
dynastic  controversy,  foreign  interference,  and  the  most  serious 
fiscal  derangements.  It  has,  happily,  been  the  result,  not  of 
a  violent  impulse  or  a  moment's  patriotism  and  enthusiasm, 
but  of  a  deliberate  and  progressive  system,  gaining  strength 
and  comprehensiveness  as  it  has  advanced.  There  is  there- 
fore no  exaggeration  in  saying,  that  it  furnishes  demonstrative 
evidence,  in  its  way,  of  solid  national  development  already, 
and  that  definite  calculations  for  the  future  may,  with  much 
confidence,  be  based  upon  it. 

The  primary  or  elementary  schools  are  simply  what  their 
name  indicates.  The  studies  which  follow,  and  are  called 
estudios  de  segunda  ensefianza,  require  five  years,  and  it  is  only 
at  the  end  of  that  period,  and  after  having  undergone  the  pre- 
scribed examinations,  that  the  degree  of  Bachelor  in  Philoso- 
phy can  be  attained.  The  Latin  is  the  only  ancient  language 
which  this  course  comprehends.     To  become  a  Licentiate  or 


SPAIN.  279 

Doctor,  in  any  of  the  five  Faculties, — Philosophy,  Tiieology, 
Jurisprudence,  Medicine,  and  Pharmacy, — requires  an  ex- 
tended course  in  a  university,  varying,  as  to  its  length  and  the 
studies  involved,  according  to  the  degree  and  the  Faculty. 
So  far  as  one  may  judge  from  the  programme  laid  down  and 
the  list  of  works  which  form  part  of  it,  the  system  of  education 
is  certainly  arai)le  and  thorough.  How  faithfully  teachers 
and  scholars  discharge  their  duties  I  do  not  pretend  to  have 
had  any  means  of  knowing,  upon  which  it  would  be  candid  to 
build  a  judgment.  It  may,  however,  with  propriety  be  ob- 
served, that  the  good  sense  and  liberal  attainments  of  the 
eminent  persons  who  had  the  formation  of  the  present  system, 
suggested  to  them  the  propriety  of  rendering  it  far  less 
scholastic  and  artificial  than  that  which  it  superseded.  As  a 
consequence,  it  will  be  found  that  the  young  men  now  leaving 
college,  or  engaged  in  the  higher  departments  of  university 
education,  bring  with  them,  or  are  prepared  and  trained  to 
bring  with  them,  into  the  world,  those  larger  ideas,  which  are 
as  necessary  to  their  distinction  or  success,  in  the  educated 
society  of  the  day,  as  they  would  have  been  considered 
dangerous  to  the  individual  and  the  state  under  the  regimen 
happily  extinct. 

The  University  of  Madrid,  probably  the  most  flourishing 
now  in  the  kingdom,  is  the  successor  of  the  venerable  Uni- 
versity of  Alcalfi  de  Henares,  founded  by  Cardinal  Ximenes 
de  Cisneros,  in  the  davs  of  the  Catholic  sovereio^ns.  Its 
transfer  to  the  capital  was  begun  in  1836,  but  it  was  not  until 
about  1845  tiiat  the  institution  and  its  dependencies  took 
their  present  shape.  It  is  now  complete  in  its  departments, 
— its  professorships  filled  with  men  of  high  attainments  in 


280  SPAIN. 

their  respective  branches,  and  its  popularity  permanently- 
established.  The  name  of  Don  Pascual  de  Gayangos,  an 
Arabic  scholar  perhaps  unsurpassed  in  Europe,  and  of  the 
most  accurate  and  extensive  learning  in  the  various  depart- 
ments of  modern  literature,  is  one  of  those  which  the  Spaniards 
are  proud  to  refer  to,  as  showing  the  grade  of  men  who  have 
of  late  years  taken  the  chairs  of  their  universities.  In  1849, 
the  students  matriculated  in  the  University  of  Madrid,  and  the 
institutions  connected  with  it,  were  more  than  4,500  in  number; 
so  that  the  good  seed  does  not  seem  likely  to  want  places  in 
which  it  may  be  sown. 

Tiie  mention  of  the  University  of  Alcala  will  probably  re- 
call to  the  reader's  recollection  the  celebrated  edition  of  the 
Bible,  issued  from  that  ancient  seat  of  learning,  under  the  di- 
rection of  its  founder,  and  commonly  known  as  the  Complu- 
tensian  Polyglot.  .  In  regard  to  the  antiquity  and  authenticity 
of  the  manuscripts  resorted  to  in  its  preparation,  and  conse- 
quently the  authority  of  its  text,  as  derived  from  them,  there 
has  been  a  good  deal  of  discussion  in  these  later  days  of  scepti- 
cal and  analytic  criticism.  Mr.  Prescott'  states,  upon  the  au- 
thority of  a  German  Professor  who  visited  Alcala  in  1784, 
that  the  disputed  question  can  never  be  settled  satisfactorily, 
inasmuch  as  the  librarian  of  that  time  sold  the  manuscripts 
to  a  rocket-maker,  as  waste  paper,  and  they  duly  passed  off,  in 
squibs,  like  baser  matter.  The  fact,  if  truly  reported,  would 
certainly  have  been  a  very  disgraceful  one  to  Spain,  and  a  sad 
one  for  the  cause  of  accurate  knowledge  on  a  most  absorbing 
subject.  It  however  turns  out  happily,  that  Professor  Mol- 
denhauer  was  mistaken,  having  no  doubt  been  misled  by  the 

•  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  325,  and  note  45. 


SPAIN,  281 

worthy  librarian,  wlio  would  perhaps  have  been  willing  to  see 
the  Professor  himself  go  up  on  a  rocket,  rather  than  furnish 
braseros  and  patient  attendance  for  his  lucubrations  over 
Hebrew  manuscripts. 

Don  Pedro  Sabau  y  Larroya,  Professor  of  Jurisprudence  in 
the  University  of  Madrid,  and  kSecretary  to  the  Academy  of 
History  when  I  had  the  honor  of  assisting  at  its  sessions,  has 
translated  Mr.  Prescott's  work,  and,  in  a  note  to  the  passage 
referred  to,  treats  the  whole  Moldenhauer  story  as  a  '*  pure 
calumny."  The  manuscripts  of  the  Polyglot,  he  says,  were 
carried  from  Alcald,  in  1837,  to  the  University  of  Madrid, 
where  they  are  now  deposited.  They  were  examined  there  by 
himself,  in  the  presence  of  the  Professor  of  Hebrew  and  the 
librarians  of  the  establishment.  As  the  original  inventories 
(if  any  ever  existed)  are  not  now  to  be  found,  it  remains  yet 
an  open  question,  whether  some  of  the  manuscripts  may  not 
have  been  mislaid  or  removed,  and  whether,  indeed,  some  of 
those  which  remain  may  not  have  suffered  injury,  during  the 
long  years,  and  troubles,  and  many  changes,  which  have  rolled 
over  and  through  the  Peninsula,  since  the  Cardinal  went  to  his 
rest.  From  the  description  given  by  Sr.  Sabau,  which  is  much 
too  long  for  this  place,  it  appears  that  the  manuscripts  now 
open  to  inspection  in  Madrid  are,  in  any  event,  of  extreme  and 
curious  value.  It  will  be  strange  if  some  enterprising  Bibli- 
cal scholar  should  not  undertake  the  revision  of  them,  which 
the  German  Professor  sought  so  unsuccessfully  to  make.  On 
my  way  home,  I  gave  to  our  intelligent  countryman,  Mr. 
Henry  Stevens,  whom  I  had  the  pleasure  to  know  in  London, 
a  short  memorandum  of  the  manuscripts  which  Sr.  Sabau 
enumerates.  He  requested  it  for  publication  in  that  very 
36 


282  SPAIN. 

curious  and  useful  periodical,  Notes  and  Queries.  Whether 
it  ever  appeared,  or  the  attention  of  those  learned  in  such  mat- 
ters (which  I  do  not  pretend  to  be)  was  ever  called  to  it,  my 
hasty  departure  prevented  me  from  knowing. 

The  reader,  whose  curiosity  may  induce  him  to  turn  to 
Sabau's  Prescott,  in  relation  to  this  matter,  will  find  a  good 
deal  of  unnecessary  indignation  displayed  against  the  memory 
of  the  German  Professor.  I  say  the  indignation  is  unneces- 
sary, because,  although  the  accusation  which  he  makes  is  one 
of  very  grievous  Vandalism,  it  can  hardly  be  supposed  that  a 
man  would  travel  from  Germany  to  Spain, — and  especially  in 
those  days  before  railroads, — for  the  pleasure  of  inventing  and 
retailing  a  ridiculous  story.  The  truth  is,  that  Mr.  Sabau, 
though  a  person  of  considerable  ability  and  reputation,  is  not 
remarkable  for  the  breadth  of  his  views,  as  the  notes  to  his 
translation  will  show.  Jurisprudence  has  obviously  not  been 
a  "gladsome  light,"  though  it  may  have  been  a  bright  one,  to 
him,  for  the  tone  of  his  writings,  generally,  is  neither  cheerful 
nor  charitable.  He  qualifies  the  wish  expressed  by  Mr. 
Prescott,  in  his  Preface,  for  the  "  civil  and  religious  liberty  " 
of  Spain,  by  a  note,  in  which  he  distinguishes  between  freedom 
from  such  physical  compulsion  and  persecution  as  the  Inquisi- 
tion enforced,  and  freedom  in  a  general  sense.  The  former 
he  is  willing  to  accept  for  his  country,  the  latter  he  protests 
against.  His  comments  upon  other  passages  are  in  the  same 
mediaeval  tone,  and  in  some  places,  indeed,  he  has  softened 
down  the  manly  language  of  his  author,  until  it  no  longer 
represents,  in  any  way,  his  just  and  vigorous  sentiments.  It 
is  true,  that  Sr.  Sabau  has  not  done  this  without  notifying  the 
reader,  and  assigning  his  reasons ;  but  the  liberty  is  unpardon- 


SPAIN.  283 

able,  nevertheless.  A  translator  may  controvert  the  text,  as 
freely  and  as  positively  as  he  pleases,  but  to  alter  it  is  not  one 
of  his  privileges.  If  the  original  is  challenged,  it  should  at 
least  be  permitted  to  speak  for  itself.  Even  in  ordinary  con- 
troversy, it  would  be  held  no  small  advantage  to  have  the 
stating  of  your  adversary's  argument,  as  well  as  of  your  own 
reply  to  it.  A  translator  has  his  original  sufficiently  in  his 
power,  at  the  best ;  for  it  is  rarely  a  profitable  business  to  one 
man's  thoughts,  that  they  should  pass  through  the  sieve  of 
another  man's  mind.  There  is  no  propriety,  therefore,  in 
adding  to  a  necessary  evil. 


xxy. 

Taxes  and  Modes  of  Collecting  them. — Reforms  in  Taxation. — 
The  Provincial  Deputations  and  Ayuntamientos. — Grievances 
AND  Abuses. — The  Customs. — Low  Salaries. — Gate-Money. — Tax 
ON  Consumption. — National  Debt. 

IT  is  impossible  to  form  even  a  proximate  idea  of  the  total 
amount  which  the  Spanish  people  contribute  to  the 
support  of  government.  The  yearly  estimates  which  the 
constitution  requires  to  be  presented  to  the  Cortes  contain,  it 
is  true,  a  detailed  statement  of  the  sources  from  which  revenue 
is  to  be  derived,  and  the  objects  of  its  application.  But  they 
are  necessarily  confined  to  the  income  and  expenditures  of  the 
government,  for  national  purposes, — leaving  altogether  out  of 
consideration  the  large  sums  which  are  collected  on  provincial 
and  municipal  account.  The  comparative  want  of  publicity 
in  the  levying  and  disbursement  of  these  latter  imposts,  of 
course  leaves  room  for  many  abuses;  so  that,  doubtless,  the 
proportion  which  the  minor,  unreported  taxes  bear  to  the 
whole  contributions  of  the  nation,  is  much  larger  than  the 
ordinary  course  of  such  things  would  lead  one  to  suppose. 

Within  a  few  years  past,  the  system  of  taxation  has  been 
very  much  simplified.     A   number  of  special  and  onerous 
burdens — which  had  been  imposed  in  particular  emergencies 
284 


SPAIN.  285 

of  the  state,  or  by  occasional  usurpations  of  the  monarch,  and 
had  been  made  permanent,  though  the  occasions  or  pretexts 
which  ])roduced  them  had  been  almost  forgotten — have  been 
swept  away  by  the  representatives  of  the  people.  Applying, 
as  these  did,  to  peculiar  cla&ses  and  property,  they  were  neces- 
sarily even  more  odious  than  they  were  oppressive;  and  being, 
moreover,  founded  on  mere  prescription,  in  many  of  their 
details,  they  were  frequently  attended  by  extortion  and  injus- 
tice, for  which  there  was  no  remedy.  The  present  plan  has, 
at  all  events,  the  merit  of  being,  in  the  main,  comprehensive 
and  general,  notwithstanding  it  gives  cause  for  much  complaint, 
in  other  particulars  which  will  be  noted. 

The  sources  of  revenue  at  this  time  are  not  numerous. 
They  are  principally  regulated  by  the  tax-laws  of  1845  and 
1847.  The  most  important  is  the  impost  on  real  property, 
agriculture  and  live  stock  {^'Inmuebles,  cultivo,  y  ganaderia")^ 
which  in  1850  was  so  levied  as  to  give  a  net  product  of 
$15,000,000.  At  the  beginning  of  every  year  a  ratable 
proportion  of  the  money  called  for  by  the  budget  which 
the  Cortes  may  adopt,  is  assessed  to  each  province.  The 
"duty  of  dividing  the  whole  among  the  several  munici- 
palities, devolves  upon  the  Diputacion  Provincial,  which 
is  composed,  in  every  province,  of  the  Jefe  PolUico  and 
Intendenie  (or  the  officers  who,  under  more  recent  legislation, 
may  discharge  their  functions),  and  a  certain  number  of  Depu- 
ties, elected  by  a  majority  of  those  qualified  to  vote  for  mem- 
bers of  the  Cortes.  The  Dijmtacion  is  likewise  clothed  with 
the  power  of  regulating  the  provincial  taxes  and  assessments, 
— directing  the  internal  affairs  of  the  provinces, — managing 
their  public  works  and  property,  with  subjection  to  existing 


286  SPAIN. 

laws, — and  proposing  to  the  government,  for  its  consideration, 
such  matters  of  provincial  interest  and  policy  as  the  public 
good  may  from  time  to  time  suggest.  The  proper  amount  of 
taxes  having  been  assessed  to  each  municipality,  the  appoint- 
ment among  the  individual  contributors  is  made  by  the  several 
ayuntamientos,  and  an  equal  number  of  the  principal  tax- 
payers themselves.  The  assessments  are  yearly.  Real  estate, 
when  leased,  is  taxed  according  to  its  annual  value  to  the  pro- 
prietor. If  unproductive,  it  contril)utes  nothing.  Farms, 
with  their  cattle  and  utensils,  in  the  hands  of  the  owner  him- 
self, are  estimated  by  as  close  an  approximation  as  possible  to 
their  actual,  clear  profits.  The  valuation  is  never  arbitrary, 
when  there  are  facts  upon  which  it  may  be  based;  and  indeed, 
so  far  as  legislation  may  avail  to  such  ends,  the  law  provides, 
wisely  and  prudently,  for  the  doing  of  justice  in  the  as^sess- 
ments  to  both  the  state  and  the  citizen.  Complaints,  never- 
theless, as  to  the  operation  of  the  system,  were  frequent  and 
serious,  when  I  was  in  Spain,  and  they  were  repeated  so  often 
in  the  Cortes,  by  Deputies  of  character  and  moderation,  as  to 
be  obviously  founded  on  something  more  than  the  proverbial 
unpopularity  of  tax-laws  throughout  the  world. 

From  the  best  information  I  could  obtain,  Sr.  Bravo  Murillo 
was  certainly  right,  in  saying  that  the  amount  of  sixty  millions 
of  dollars  was  by  no  means  larger  than  Spain  could  readily 
pay  to  the  central  government.  The  grievances,  so  often  made 
the  subject  of  remonstrance,  arose  from  the  distribution  and 
collection  of  the  taxes,  and  not  from  their  amount.  In  spite 
of  all  statutory  precautions,  the  assessments,  I  was  informed, 
were  very  unequally  and  unfairly  made  in  some  of  the  prov- 
inces, and  there  existed  no  sufficient  accessible  remedy,  even  in 


SPAIN.  287 

cases  of  great  hardship.  But  it  was  in  the  time  and  mode  of 
their  collection,  that  the  public  burdens  were  made  to  weigh 
most  heavily.  It  was  the  interest  of  the  officials  to  collect,  if 
possible,  by  execution ;  the  perquisites  resulting  to  them  in 
such  case  being  proportionally  very  large.  The  result  was, 
that,  in  seasons  when  the  failure  of  any  particular  crop — per- 
haps the  chief  dependence  of  the  agricultural  year — would 
embarrass  the  farmers  in  particular  districts,  those  districts 
would  as  certainly  be  the  mark  of  the  tax-gatherer's  utmost 
extortion.  The  time  within  which  execution  might  be  levied, 
in  case  of  non-payment,  was  entirely  too  short;  the  proceed- 
ings were  arbitrary  and  summary  in  high  degree,  and  there 
was  no  provision  for  the  redemption  of  the  property  sold, 
within  a  definite  period,  no  matter  how  great  might  be  the 
sacrifice  in  its  sale.  In  a  country  like  Spain,  where — although 
there  is  comparatively  little  destitution — there  is  a  very  large 
portion  of  the  rural  population  whose  daily  labor  can  produce 
but  daily  bread,  it  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  severe  and 
stringent  application  of  coercive  measures  must  result  often  in 
absolute  ruin.  This  effect  is  the  more  likely  to  be  general, 
when  it  is  produced  at  all,  from  the  fact  that,  in  many  of  the 
agricultural  districts,  the  nature  of  the  soil,  the  degree  of  its 
imjn'ovement,  the  staples  and  the  modes  and  means  of  their 
cultivation  and  production,  are  so  entirely  identical,  that  one 
general  cause — a  drought,  for  example — will  put  it  out  of  the 
power  of  all  the  small  farmers,  alike,  to  contribute  any  thing, 
for  the  time,  to  the  expenses  of  the  state. 

Next  to  the  tax  of  which  I  have  spoken,  the  customs  fur- 
nish the  largest  item  of  revenue.  The  anticipated  receipts 
from  that  source,  for  1850,  were  eight  millions  of  dollars,  an 


288  SPAIN. 

insignificant  sura  enough,  in  view  of  what  might  be  obtained 
by  a  rational — one  might  almost  say  a  sane — adjustment  of 
the  tariff  on  imports.  Notwithstanding  its  insignificance, 
however,  it  was  a  considerable  improvement  on  the  past, — the 
result  of  the  improved  ideas  of  political  economy  which  had 
for  some  time  been  prevailing  at  Madrid.  It  is  certainly  dif- 
ficult to  understand  how  men  could  be  blind  so  long  to  the  evils 
and  errors  of  the  prohibitory  system,  whose  worst  absurdities 
they  were  illustrating  and  developing  daily.  It  is  almost  as 
singular,  that  a  favorable  change,  when  once  begun,  should 
advance  so  tardily.  Nevertheless,  it  is  satisfactory  to  know 
that  the  current  has  set  at  last  in  the  right  direction,  and  that 
the  tendency  of  Spanish  legislation  is  now  as  strong  towards 
the  removal  of  commercial  restrictions,  as  the  proper  protection 
of  the  national  interests  will  justify.  I  do  not  say  that  such 
is  the  present  temper  of  the  whole  nation,  or  that  the  destruc- 
tion of  long-established  monopolies  and  prejudices  can  be 
accomplished  at  once,  and  without  resistance;  but  that  the 
thinking  men  of  all  parties,  at  Madrid,  seem  to  unite  in  press- 
ing such  modifications  of  the  tariff,  as  will  finally  raise  it  to 
the  most  productive  scale  for  the  revenue,  while  they  at  the 
same  time  foster  most  effectively  the  great  interests  of  commerce 
and  manufactures.  That  such  a  result  is  not  easily  attained, 
the  experience  of  the  United  States  is  most  ample  to  show.  It 
is  to  be  hoped  that  the  Spaniards  will  profit  by  it  and  by  their 
own,  so  as  to  avoid,  on  the  one  hand,  the  building  up  or  the 
maintenance  of  a  system  which  has  no  support  but  legislation, 
and  the  disregard,  on  the  other,  of  those  suggestions,  by  which 
nature  and  the  instincts  and  tendencies  of  a  people  point  out 
to  its  government  the  policy  and  limits  of  protection. 


SPAIN.  289 

It  would  be  tedious  and  unnecessary  to  dwell  upon  all  the 
other  methods  of  obtaining  revenue  which  prevail  in  Spain. 
They  are  such  as  the  experience  of  most  civilized  nations  has 
devised,  and  perhaps,  on  the  whole,  are  as  fair  and  productive 
in  themselves  as  any  general  scheme  can  be  made.  Of  the 
very  large  percentage  which  is  paid  for  their  collection,  I  have 
already  had  occasion  to  speak ;  but  although  there  is  no  evil 
connected  with  the  revenue  which  it  is  more  important  to  cure, 
there  is  perhaps  none  in  Spain  whose  correction  will  be  more 
difficult.  It  is  not  easy  to  persuade  the  public,  anywhere,  that 
any  system  can  be  economical,  which  involves  the  increase  of 
salaries.  Every  one  can  perceive  the  difference  between  a 
small  and  a  larger  sum  of  money ;  it  is  not  every  one  who  will 
appreciate  the  infinitely  larger  difference  between  the  services 
of  an  efficient  and  honest  officer,  and  those  of  one  who  is  will- 
ing to  work  at  any  price,  for  the  sake  of  bread  and  of  profit- 
ing by  contingencies.  There  are  always  so  many  persons 
ready  to  serve  the  state  cheaply,  who  have  never  been  under 
an  inquisition  as  idiots  or  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  crime, 
and  who  therefore,  in  intendment  of  law,  are  sensible  and  hon- 
est, that  it  is  quite  useless  to  assert  that  good  men  will  not 
accept  office  at  low  rates  of  compensation.  Demagogues  will 
always  be  found  to  say  that  these  excellent  people  can  be  had 
at  minimum  prices,  and  to  prove,  by  addition  or  subtraction, 
the  detriment  which  the  commonwealth  will  suffer  by  rejecting 
their  bids.  By  such  and  similar  devices,  the  public  are 
seduced  from  their  propriety  so  far  as  to  forget,  in  affairs  of 
government,  the  principle  so  universal  in  private  experience, 
— that  a  good  thing  is  only  to  be  had  by  paying  for  it.  In 
Spain,  the  inferior  officers  of  the  revenue  are  wretchedly  paid. 
37 


290  SPAIN. 

To  live  by  their  salaries  is  out  of  the  question, — they  must  of 
course  live  from  their  offices.  They  must  accept  bribes,  to 
permit  the  violation  of  the  laws, — they  must  oppress  where 
they  dare,  and  can  make  it  profitable, — they  must  take  their 
own  share  of  what  passes  through  their  hands.  The  public 
can  never  know  the  extent  to  which  this  is  done.  If  the 
revenue  falls  short,  other  reasons  can  be  given  for  it,  and  the 
fallacy  of  those  reasons  cannot  be  demonstrated.  While,  there- 
fore, the  popularity-hunters  in  the  Cortes  can  show  in  a  mo- 
ment the  difference  to  the  public  between  a  salary  of  one 
peseta  daily  and  a  salary  of  two,  the  advocates  of  the  more 
liberal  system  can  only  rely  upon  probabilities  and  inferences, 
which,  strong  as  they  may  be,  are  yet  not  arithmetic.  Thus  it 
is,  that,  although  every  man  in  Spain  knows  the  existence  of 
corruption  in  the  fiscal  department  and  throughout  many  of 
its  minor  details,  it  will  be  long  before  there  will  be  moral 
courage  enough  in  the  legislature,  with  the  cry  of  retrench- 
ment ringing  in  its  ears,  to  commence  an  economical  reform, 
by  a  system  of  liberal  compensation. 

Perhaps  the  most  odious  of  the  Spanish  taxes — certainly  the 
most  justly  odious — is  that  called  the  derecho  de  puertas, — an 
octroi,  or  gate-duty,  imitated  from  the  French,  and  levied  upon 
articles  which  are  carried  into  the  cities  and  certain  authorized 
towns.  Not  the  least  among  its  evils  are  the  large  number  of 
custom-house  officers  it  requires,  the  frequent  opportunities  it 
affords  for  oppression  and  peculation,  and  the  sort  of  espionage 
under  which  it  places  all  travellers  and  carriers.  But  its 
principal  vice  is  the  restraint  it  puts  upon  the  freedom  of  trade 
and  intercourse  between  different  parts  of  the  country.  No 
one  can  appreciate,  without  frequently  observing,  the  infinite 


SPAIN.  291 

and  petty  delays  and  vexations  to  which  it  exposes  the  country 
people  and  small  dealers,  to  whom  time  is  of  the  utmost  value, 
and  upon  whom  it  operates,  perhaps,  more  severely  in  this 
regard,  than  in  the  mere  amount  of  contribution  which  is 
exacted  from  them.  It  is  really  sad  to  see  a  line  of  industrious, 
poor  fellows — who  have  travelled,  from  early  dawn,  to  sell, 
perhaps,  a  donkey-load  of  charcoal — detained  at  the  gates,  as 
they  often  are,  till  the  best  hours  of  the  morning  have  passed 
away ;  while  the  gentlemen  of  the  customs — too  few  to  dis- 
charge their  duties  promptly,  or  too  idle  to  discharge  them  at 
all,  except  for  a  compensation — are  quietly  smoking  their 
cigaiTitos,  in  shade  or  sunshine,  according  to  the  season.  The 
patience,  however,  is  remarkable,  with  which  the  sufferers  will 
endure  all  this, — too  happy  if  they  are  not  required  to  empty 
their  panniers  to  the  very  bottom,  so  that  the  official  eye  may 
see,  where  the  official  hand  has  failed  to  discover,  any  contra- 
band bottle  of  wine  or  aguai'diente. 

Connected  with  the  gate-tax  in  its  unpopularity  is  the  derecho 
de  consumo,  or  tax  on  consumption,  which  is  levied  upon  all 
articles  consumed  in  the  cities  and  towns.  It  is  the  more  ob- 
jectionable, since  it  is  regarded  but  as  a  duplicate  of  the  derecho 
de  puertas, — a  doing  over  of  what  is  justly  considered  bad 
enough  when  done  once.  The  worst  of  both  these  impositions 
is,  that  they  may  be  applied  to  the  same  articles  of  trade  or 
consumption  a  dozen  times,  if  the  owner  thinks  proper,  or 
finds  it  necessary,  to  give  them  so  wide  a  circulation.  An  ac- 
quaintance from  Malaga,  who  was  sojourning  in  Madrid,  told 
me  one  day  that  he  had  directed  some  fruits  to  be  sent  up  from 
home,  for  his  own  use  and  to  be  presented  to  his  friends  in  the 
capital.    They  had  been  produced  on  his  own  farm,  upon  which, 


292  SPAm 

and  on  its  stock,  he  had  paid  direct  taxes  proportionate  to  its 
crops.  They  had  been  carried  into  Malaga,  to  be  stored,  and 
he  had  there  paid  the  gate-tax  and  the  tax  on  consumption. 
"  I  learned  yesterday,"  he  added,  "  that  they  had  arrived  here, 
and  when  I  had  paid  the  charge  of  the  galera  for  bringing 
them, — which  was  no  trifle, — I  was  called  on  for  the  derecho 
de  puertas  and  the  derecho  de  consumo  for  Madrid,  I  have 
not  made  up  my  mind  whether  I  shall  not  beg  the  Seflor 
carabinero  who  has  them  in  charge  to  favor  me  by  eating 
them.  Y  que  le  hagan  buen  provecho  !  May  they  do  him 
much  good  ! " 

In  184<S  there  was  a  royal  decree,  authorizing  the  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  to  exempt  from  the  derecho  de  puertas  the  raw 
materials  used  in  the  various  manufactures  of  the  country,  and 
this  without  regard  to  their  being  of  foreign  or  domestic  origin. 
The  measure  was,  no  doubt,  an  extremely  wise  one,  and  has 
contributed  its  share  towards  the  improvement  which  the  manu- 
facturing industry  of  Spain  has,  of  late  years,  obviously  under- 
gone. By  the  law  of  presupuestos,  in  1850,  the  authority  was 
extended  to  such  other  articles  as  might  seem  to  require  a  simi- 
lar exemption, — provided  always  that  the  revenue  from  gate- 
money  should  not  be,  thereby,  too  seriously  impaired.  The  lat- 
ter clause  was  quite  unnecessary,  as  it  is  not  in  the  nature  of 
finance  ministers  anywhere,  and  least  of  all  in  Spain,  to  cut  down 
any  available  means  of  revenue,  where  they  are  allowed  to  exer- 
cise a  discretion.  Sr.  Bravo  Murillo,  in  April,  1850,  published 
a  list  of  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  additional  articles  to 
which  the  freedom  of  the  gates  was  given.  They  were  prin- 
cipally drugs,  medicinal  plants,  and  vegetable  and  mineral 
substances  employed   in   the  various   mechanic  arts.     Their 


SPAIN.  293 

exem])tion  seemed  but  a  trifle,  until  I  reflected  upon  the  incal- 
culable annoyance  and  injustice  which  the  levying  of  taxes  on 
them  must  previously  have  wrought.  There  were  several 
commodities,  among  them,  which  struck  me  as  somewhat 
singular :  such,  for  example,  as  live  vipers,  dried  do.,  sand 
for  scouring,  human  hair,  do.  manufactured,  cantharides, 
canary  birds,  leeches,  &c.,  &c.  Even  if  the  snakes,  the  birds, 
or  the  flies  had  not  been  permitted  to  enter  the  cities  scot-free, 
without  legislation,  a  fellow-feeling  ought  to  have  sufficed,  of 
itself,  to  save  the  leeches,  at  all  events,  from  the  rude  hands 
of  the  tax-gatherer. 

A  chapter  on  the  finances  of  Spain  would  hardly  seem 
complete,  without  some  allusion  to  the  national  debt ;  but  as 
this,  unfortunately,  is  somewhat  over  nine  hundred  millions, 
and  is  not  much  nearer  being  paid  than  it  was  when  contracted, 
it  has  no  very  practical  connection  with  the  financial  interests 
of  the  day.  If  such  things  be  national  blessings,  as  is  some- 
times contended,  the  cup  of  the  national  beatitude  ought 
certainly  to  be  full.  Every  now  and  then  some  "  agent  of 
the  bondholders  "  is  said  to  visit  Madrid,  with  a  view  to  an 
arrangement  for  the  punctual  payment  of  interest.  But  this 
announcement  has  been  made  so  often,  and  the  "arrangement" 
is  still  so  far  from  its  consummation,  that  the  "  agent "  is 
now  generally  regarded  as  a  newspaper  fiction,  and  the  debt 
answers  but  little  purpose,  save  as  a  shuttlecock  for  the  players 
at  the  Stock  Exchange.  Rumor  occasionally  alludes  to  large 
fortunes,  supposed  to  have  been  made  from  sjjeculations  in  it, 
by  persons  high  in  authority,  who  are  able  to  foretell,  if  not 
to  cause,  the  fluctuations  of  its  market  value.  There  is,  no 
doubt,  truth  in  these  reports ;  for  Lord  Bacon  has  wisely  said, 


294  SPAIN. 

that  "  want  supplieth  itself  of  what  is  next,  and  many  times 
the  next  way."  It  may  be  private  uncharitableness  to  believe 
ill  of  our  neighbors,  but  it  sometimes  is  public  wisdom  not 
to  be  incredulous  in  regard  to  the  sins  of  our  rulers.  The 
reader  who  is  disposed  to  be  amiable  may  see  some  prospect 
of  the  debt's  being  extinguished  in  the  fact  that  $160,602 
were  applied  in  July,  1852,  to  the  redemption  of  preferred 
securities ! 


XXVI. 

Internal  Improvements. — AoRictrLTTiRAii  and  Mineral  Wealth. — 
Natural  Obstacles. — Present  Facilities  for  Travel  and  Trans- 
portation.— Safety  op  the  Koads. — Police. — New  Roads  and 
Canals. — Administration  op  Eoads  and  Canals. — Railroads 
projected  and  completed. — Railroad  CoMjnTTEE  op  the  Cortes. 
— Royal  Decree  and  Participation  op  the  Government  in 
the  Management  op  Railroads. — Influx  of  Capital,  and  its 
Results. 

IF  there  be  any  one  subject  of  greater  interest,  at  this 
moment,  to  Spain,  than  all  others,  it  is  a  comprehensive 
and  thorough  system  of  internal  improvements.  It  is  a 
matter  vital  to  her  prosperity  in  all  points  of  view, — not 
merely  with  reference  to  the  development  of  her  material 
resources,  but  to  the  diffusion  of  liberal  and  enlightened 
opinions,  and  the  spread  of  civilization  among  her  people. 
During  the  Carlist  war,  it  was  notorious  that  the  Pretender 
had  no  strength — almost  no  party — in  the  cities  and  large 
towns,  and  wherever  intelligence  was  diffused.  His  strong- 
holds were  in  the  fastnesses  of  the  hills,  the  almost  inaccessible 
valleys,  and  wherever  the  isolation  of  the  people  from  the  rest 
of  the  world  was  most  complete.  I  do  not,  of  course,  speak, 
in  this  connection,  of  the  footing  which  Don  Carlos  maintained 
in  the  Basque  Provinces.     His  popularity  there  was  altogether 

295 


296  SPAIN. 

independent  of  any  attachment  to  his  person,  or  to  the  despotic 
and  retrograde  principles  of  which  he  was  the  representative. 
He  was  identified  by  the  intelligent  and  sturdy  inhabitants 
with  their  fueros,  or  prescriptive  privileges,  and  it  was  for 
these,  and  not  for  him  or  his  cause,  as  is  commonly  supposed, 
that  their  unyielding  struggle  was  kept  up.  But,  elsewhere, 
the  devotion  of  the  rural  districts  to  the  Pretender  was  univer- 
sally  proportioned,  in  its  intensity  and  its  extent,  to  the  degree 
of  their  remoteness  from  the  sources  of  information,  and  the 
difficulty  of  their  intercourse  with  the  other  portions  of  the 
kingdom.  And  so  it  must  always  be.  New  ideas  cannot 
enter  rapidly,  or  be  accepted  with  intelligent  welcome,  where 
the  people  who  are  to  carry  or  receive  them  have  only  access 
to  each  other,  and  to  the  living  stream  of  human  thought  and 
movement,  by  mule-paths  over  rugged  mountains.  It  is  not 
to  be  expected  that  men  can  get  rid  of  their  swaddling-clothes, 
while  they  are  compelled  to  lie  in  the  cradles  in  which  they 
were  rocked.  I  think  it  is  Sidney  Smith  who  says  that  "  the 
wisdom  of  our  ancestors  is  the  usual  topic,  whenever  the  folly 
of  their  descendants  is  to  be  defended  "  ;  but  how  are  men  to 
get  beyond  the  follies  of  their  progenitors,  if  they  have  no 
opportunity  to  acquire  wisdom  of  their  own  ?  When  the 
oracle  foretold  to  Philip  that  he  might  cleave  the  wall  with 
his  wedge  of  gold,  it  presupposed  some  crevice,  through  which 
the  work  might  be  begun. 

To  see  what  might  be  done  for  the  material  wealth  of  Spain, 
by  a  judicious  system  of  internal  improvements,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  look  for  a  moment  at  her  geographical  position 
and  resources.  Though  not  abounding  in  ports  of  the  first 
class,  she  has  still  enough  to  furnish  outlets  for  all  the  possible 


SPAIN.  297 

productions  of  her  soil  and  industry.  *'  Her  agricultural 
products,"  says  Loudon/  "  include  all  those  of  the  rest  of 
Europe  and  most  of  those  of  the  West  Indies;  besides  all  the 
grains ;  for  the  production  of  which  some  provinces  are  more 
celebrated  than  others,  and  most  of  them  are  known  to  produce 
the  best  wheat  in  Europe."  Her  soil  and  climate  are  as 
various,  and  the  face  of  the  country  is  as  diversified,  as  so 
unlimited  a  range  of  products  could  require.  Mountain  and 
valley,  plain  and  vega,  vineyard,  cornfield,  pasture,  and  sheep- 
walk, — all  contribute  their  shares  to  the  bounty  of  her  agri- 
culture. Nor  are  the  treasures  beneath  the  soil  less  varied 
and  abundant  than  those  which  spring  from  it.  Copper  and 
lead  are  found  in  large  quantities,  and  in  the  most  valuable 
combinations.  The  quicksilver  mine  of  Almaden  is  inex- 
haustible. Zinc  abounds  in  La  Mancha  and  the  Asturias. 
Black-lead  of  the  first  quality  is  to  be  had  abundantly  through 
Andalusia.  Alum,  saltpetre,  and  salt  are  the  riches  of  various 
districts.  Iron  of  the  best  quality,  and  in  inexhaustible 
deposits,  is  to  be  found  throughout  the  whole  kingdom, 
especially  in  the  northern  and  more  industrious  provinces, 
and  at  Marbella  on  the  Mediterranean,  not  far  from  Malaga, 
where  there  is  a  mountain  almost  entirely  composed  of  it.  Of 
the  coal  mines  of  the  Asturias,  Widdrington  says  that  "  the 
quantity  is  inexhaustible,  the  quality  excellent,  the  working 
of  extraordinary  facility,  and  the  communication  easy  with 
the  sea."  Near  Villanueva  del  Rio,  by  the  Guadalquivir, 
there  is  also  an  extensive  deposit  of  coal,  which  is  used  for 
steam-navigation  on  that  river ;  but  it  is,  like  the  most  of  the 
mines  which  have  been  referred  to,  only  imperfectly  worked. 

'  Encyclopcedia  of  Agricidlure,  Sec.  721. 

38 


298  SPAIN. 

Baron  Liebig/  speaking  of  the  extensive  formation  of  plios- 
phate  of  lime,  which  was  explored,  in  Estremadura,  by  Dr. 
Daubeny  of  Oxford,  observes  :  "  This  is  one  of  the  treasures, 
of  which  Spain  has  so  many,  sufficient,  perhaps,  at  no  distant 
period,  to  pay  a  part  of  the  national  debt  of  that  country." 
"  It  is  deeply  to  be  regretted,"  he  adds,  "  that  the  railways 
projected  seven  years  ago,  which,  crossing  each  other  at  Madrid 
as  a  centre,  were  to  unite  Portugal  with  France,  and  Madrid 
with  both  seas,  have  not  been  executed.  These  railways  would 
render  Spain  the  richest  country  in  Europe." 

With  these  and  similar  inducements  to  create  all  possible 
channels  for  internal  intercourse,  nature  has  undoubtedly  min- 
gled an  infinitude  of  obstacles,  which  in  some  degree  excuse 
the  paucity  and  imperfection  of  the  facilities  which  at  present 
exist.  It  would  be  difficult  to  devise  a  more  unfavorable 
topographical  arrangement  for  the  construction  of  improve- 
ments of  all  sorts.  The  immense  central  plateau  of  the  Castiles 
is  more  than  two  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
towards  which  the  descent,  in  many  places,  is  sudden  and  pre- 
cipitous,— obstructed  often,  in  the  most  important  quarters,  by 
mountains  of  painful  declivity  and  ruggedness.  The  chief 
mountain  ranges  which  cross  the  Peninsula  do  so  transversely, 
and  in  such  a  manner  as  to  present  as  many  lines  of  impedi- 
ment as  possible,  in  the  directions  which  the  most  valuable 
works  must  take.  The  rivers,  in  their  upper  portions,  run 
mostly  in  narrow  channels,  between  high  and  rocky  banks, 
difficult  of  access,  often,  in  an  extreme  degree,  for  the  purposes 
of  canal  construction.  The  long  droughts  in  many  districts, 
and  the  paucity  of  streams  where  most  desirable,  present  other 

^  Letters  on  Chemistry,  p.  498,  note. 


SPAIN.  299 

difficulties  in  this  regard,  which  are  almost  insuperable.  In 
the  presence  of  natural  obstacles  so  numerous  and  real,  it  is 
not  difficult  to  understand  how  a  nation,  sparsely  peopled, 
vexed  by  invasions  and  civil  discord, — with  an  exhausted 
treasury,  an  impoverished  agriculture,  and  broken  industry, — 
should  have  shrunic  from  encountering  what,  under  the  most 
favorable  auspices,  must  be  a  gigantic  labor,  and  involve  an 
enormous  expenditure. 

Bad,  however,  as  the  means  of  communication  and  transpor- 
tation undoubtedly  are,  in  many  parts  of  Spain,  the  common 
ideas  of  other  countries  in  regard  thereto  are  very  much 
exaggerated.  It  is  gravely  stated,  in  many  respectable  books 
of  reference,  and  believed,  with  a  shudder,  by  travellers,  who 
would  otherwise  enjoy  the  pleasure  and  profit  of  visiting  the 
Peninsula,  that  a  tourist  can  scarcely  see  any  thing  except  from 
his  saddle,  and  that  mules  and  donkeys  are  almost  exclusively 
the  common  carriers.  There  is  no  foundation  whatever  for 
such  notions.  Through  the  most  important  parts  of  the 
kingdom,  and  especially  between  the  principal  cities,  there  is 
every  facility  which  good  carriage-roads  and  excellent  dili- 
gences, constantly  running,  can  furnish  to  travellers  ;  and  the 
galeras,  or  wagon-lines,  for  the  transportation  of  merchandise, 
are  numerous, — often  very  well  conducted  and  reasonably 
prompt,  the  mountainous  nature  of  the  principal  routes  being 
taken  into  consideration.  Those  persons  who  desire  to  explore 
the  country, — to  penetrate  its  romantic  recesses  and  enjoy  the 
wildness  of  its  most  secluded  scenerv, — will  undoubtedlv  be 
compelled  to  do  so  on  horseback,  and  trust  their  valuables  to 
the  next  mule-driver.  But  in  such  cases  the  adventurousness 
of  the  journey  would  seem  to  be  an  attraction,  rather  than  an 


300  SPAIN. 

inconvenience;  and  one  can  hardly  expect  the  appliances  of 
civilization,  when  expressly  seeking  the  beauties  of  primitive, 
uncultivated  nature. 

It  may  be  well  to  say  in  this  place,  that  the  dangers  of  Span- 
ish travel  have  been  quite  as  much  the  subject  of  hyperbole  as 
its  difficulties, — perhaps,  indeed,  more.  Since  the  civil  war 
ended,  the  improved  security  and  profit  of  peaceful  labor,  and 
the  consolidation,  in  a  more  permanent  and  effective  form,  of 
the  elements  of  real  government,  have  so  removed  the  temp- 
tations to  lawlessness  and  increased  the  probability  of  its 
punishment,  that  robberies  and  murders  upon  the  highway 
have  become  of  comparatively  infrequent  occurrence.  The 
new  road-police^the  guardias  civiles — are  an  excellent  and 
effective  corps,  and  by  their  numbers,  activity,  and  energy 
have  become  a  great  terror  to  evil-doers.  They  are  to  be  met 
in  all  directions,  traversing  the  country  on  horseback  and  on 
foot,  well  armed  and  accoutred.  The  justice  to  which  they 
bring  the  criminals  whom  they  arrest  is  so  decided  and  sum- 
mary, as  to  have  diffused  already,  when  I  was  in  Spain,  that 
salutary  dread  of  the  vigorous  and  active  administration  of 
the  laws,  which  is  the  most  effectual  preventive  of  crime,  and 
especially  of  open  violence. 

So  far  as  the  construction  of  carriage-roads  is  concerned,  but 
little  could  be  added  to  the  energy  and  industry  with  which 
the  system  of  improvements  has  been  prosecuted,  since  the 
final  establishment  of  peace.  There  is  a  Board  of  Engineers 
of  Roads, — originally  organized  towards  the  close  of  the  last 
century,  which,  after  having  been  suppressed,  during  the  war 
of  independence  and  the  despotical  reaction  of  1823,  was 
placed  upon  a  secure  and  permanent  footing  in  1836,  when  a 


SPAIN.  301 

school  for  the  education  of  its  future  members  was  established. 
The  construction  and  improvement  of  thechief  national  and  pro- 
vincial highways  is  under  the  charge  of  this  corps,  while  that  of 
the  minor  (or,  as  we  might  call  them,  country  or  township)  roads 
is  intrusted  to  certain  "  Directors  of  By-roads  and  Canals  for 
Irrigation,"  who  were  created  a  board,  by  royal  decree,  in  1848. 
The  funds  for  the  construction  of  the  last-mentioned  works 
are  raised  by  the  i)roper  provincial  and  municipal  authorities, 
in  a  manner  provided  by  law.  Those  which  are  of  a  national 
character  are  dependent  upon  the  Treasury.  The  amount 
designated  for  their  support,  in  the  budget  of  1850,  was 
$\  ,452,360,  over  and  above  $84,657,  appropriated  to  the  pay  of 
the  engineer  board  and  the  support  of  its  school.  Some  mem- 
bers of  the  opposition  contended  that  a  very  undue  proportion 
of  the  amount  applicable  to  the  construction  of  highways  was 
absorbed  in  the  personal  of  the  service, — that  is  to  say,  the 
perquisites,  expenses,  and  it  may  be  the  pickings  and  stealings 
of  the  various  officials  concerned  in  it.  Doubtless  there  was 
truth  in  the  charge, — for  it  was  made  openly  and  responsibly ; 
but  it  was  equally  true,  that  the  roads  in  progress  of  constuc- 
tion  were  advancing  with  much  rapidity,  to  the  obvious  and 
almost  incalculable  advantage  of  some  of  the  most  important 
districts.  In  many  places  also,  they  were  reducing  the  grades 
of  the  old  roads,  with  great  benefit  to  their  practicability  for 
heavy  transportation.  If,  however,  on  the  whole,  the  new 
highways  shall  be  constructed  with  the  masterly  skill  in  the 
engineering  department,  and  the  solidity  of  the  bridges  and 
masonry,  which  are  conspicuous  in  the  older  works,  a  small 
extra  appropriation  to  the  personal  may  be  regarded  as  a 
pardonable  sin. 


302  SPAIN. 

In  the  matter  of  railroads  and  canals,  there  is  less  to  be  said 
for  the  actual  improvement  of  Spain,  although  projects  without 
number,  and  especially  of  railroads,  have  been  for  some  time 
occupying  public  attention. 

"Six  are  the  canals  for  navigation  which  we  have,"  says 
Mellado,  in  1849,  "but  none  of  them  finished, — in  accordance 
with  that  sort  of  fatality  which  has  always  persecuted  Spain, 
and  in  virtue  of  which  every  thing  useful  is  left  to  be  done 
(se  queda  por  hacei')."  The  only  one  of  these  works  really 
worth  noticing  is  the  Canal  of  Castile,  referred  to  in  a  preced- 
ing chapter.  Eighty-one  miles  only  were  finished ;  but  the 
work  was  done  in  the  most  substantial  and  permanent  manner, 
so  that  its  continuation,  now  so  actively  undertaken,  will  not 
be  embarrassed  by  the  necessity  of  extensive  repairs.  It  runs 
through  a  productive  country,  abounding  in  the  best  bread- 
stuffs,  and  can  be  readily  and  copiously  supplied  from  the 
Pisuerga,  which  washes  the  walls  of  Valladolid.  Its  comple- 
tion, which  is  now  a  matter  of  no  doubt,  will  give,  as  I  have 
said,  a  most  important  impulse  to  the  agriculture  of  Castile 
and  the  commerce  of  Santander.  The  canalization  (as  they 
called  it)  of  the  Ebro  was  the  subject  of  a  good  deal  of  interest 
and  discussion  when  I  was  in  Spain,  and  it  seemed  likely  then 
to  be  realized;  but  I  have  not  been  able  to  learn  whether  any 
actual  progress  has  been  made  in  the  enterprise.^  It  was 
commenced  during  the  reign  of  Charles  the  Third,  and  finished, 
from  the  neighborhood  of  Tudela,  nearly  to  Zaragoza.  Tor- 
tosa  was  its  contemplated  terminus,  and  such  are  the  manifest 
advantages  which  it  would  confer  upon  a  most  productive 

^  It  is  now  announced  that  the  work  is  in  the  hands  of  contractors  for 
speedy  completion. 


SPAIN.  303 

region,  that  it  is  liard  to  understand  how  even  the  most  adverse 
circumstances  could  have  prevented  its  completion.  A  similar 
observation  may  with  propriety  be  made,  in  reference  to  the 
lateral  Canal  of  the  Guadalquivir,  a  work  of  national  and 
consummate  importance,  a  portion  of  which  was  under  con- 
tract, in  1850,  and  which  seemed  to  have  been  taken  up  ener- 
getically by  both  the  government  and  private  capitalists.  How 
far  it  was  to  be  connected  with  a  former  noted,  but  unsuccessful, 
scheme  for  deepening  portions  of  the  channel  as  far  as  C6rdova, 
I  was  unable  to  ascertain ;  but  the  consummation  of  either 
project  would  make  an  epoch  in  the  national  prosperity. 
When  I  left  Spain,  the  railway  between  Barcelona  and 
,  Matar6,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles,  was  the  only  one  in  active 
operation.  I  did  not  pass  over  it,  but  was  informed  that, 
although  an  excellent  road,  its  construction  had  involved  no 
great  difficulty  or  expense.  I  have  since  seen  an  announce- 
ment in  the  journals,  of  its  continuation  to  Areflys,  some  nine 
miles  farther.  In  the  autumn  of  1850,  the  railway  between 
Madrid  and  Aranjuez,  a  distance  of  twenty-four  or  five  miles, 
was  opened  with  great  magnificence,  in  the  presence  of  the 
Queen  and  Court.  This  road,  of  itself,  is  not  of  very  great 
usefulness  to  trade,  because,  although  directly  on  the  routes 
between  Andalucia,  La  Mancha,  Valencia,  &c.  and  the  capital, 
it  still  forms  but  a  small  portion  of  the  immense  lines  which 
it  terminates.  Its  completion,  however,  must  be  of  extreme 
importance  in  another  point  of  view,  by  bringing  those  who 
work  the  springs  of  government  at  the  capital  in  direct  and 
unavoidable  contact  with  the  wisdom,  value,  and  practicability 
of  such  enterprises.  It  thus  may  be,  not  only  the  beginning 
of  a  great  central  work,  which  will  unite  the  plains  of  Castile 


304  SPAIN. 

with  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  and  the  wealth  of  the 
West  and  South,  but  perhaps  the  means  of  giving  a  direction 
to  the  public  mind  and  energy,  which  will  produce  general 
results  now  hardly  to  be  anticipated.  Already,  its  continuation 
to  Ahnansa,  on  the  route  to  Alicante,  is  under  contract  and 
rapidly  advancing. 

The  line  of  Langreo  in  the  Asturias,  established  for  the 
purpose  of  develo])ing  the  immense  resources  of  the  coal  region 
mentioned  in  the  last  chapter,  was  considerably  advanced  at 
the  time  of  my  departure,  and  its  completion  was  looked  for 
towards  the  close  of  1850.  The  want  of  coal  in  Barcelona  was 
suggesting  also,  to  the  people  of  that  enterprising  capital,  the 
necessity  of  a  railway  to  San  Juan  de  las  Abadesas,  and  it  was 
accordingly  projected  and  commenced,  with  the  usual  energy 
of  the  Catalans.  Its  construction  would  occupy,  it  was  sup- 
posed, but  little  over  two  years,  so  that  by  this  time  it  must 
have  nearly  approached  its  termination.  During  the  present 
summer  (1852)  the  provincial  deputation  and  the  municipal 
corporation  of  Barcelona  have  petitioned  the  government  for 
leave  to  construct  a  railway  to  Zaragoza,  nearly  one  hundred 
and  seventy  miles, — a  work  of  great  difficulty,  and  which 
must  of  necessity  be  protracted  and  costly.  If  there  be  any 
province  in  which  such  an  enterprise  could  be  successful,  it  is 
Catalonia,  and  there  is  sufficient  wealth  and  commercial  and 
industrial  activity  among  the  inhabitants  to  render  it  altogether 
practicable.  Recent  accounts  treat  its  consummation  as  certain. 
The  very  desire  of  so  shrewd  and  calculating  a  people  to  take 
so  heavy  a  responsibility  on  their  own  shoulders,  is  evidence 
at  once  of  the  probable  productiveness  of  the  work,  and  of  the 
spirit  which  is  awake  in  the  nation. 


SPAIN.  305 

I  have  referred,  in  anotlier  j)lace,  to  the  railway  from  Sau- 
tander  to  Alar,  with  its  projected  continuation  to  Valladolid 
and  Burgos.  Important  as  this  must  be  to  the  whole  North, 
it  will  be  rendered  doubly  so  by  the  completion  of  the  great 
line  now  contemplated  between  Madrid  and  the  frontier  of  the 
Pyrenees,  at  Irun.  The  government  seems  to  be  really  in 
earnest,  in  regard  to  this  latter  work, — having  but  lately 
decreed  the  sale  of  the  communal  property  in  the  provinces 
through  which  it  is  to  pass,  for  the  purpose  of  devoting  their 
proceeds  to  its  construction.  It  is  scarcely  possible  to  overrate 
the  benefits  with  which  the  successful  prosecution  of  so  gigantic 
an  enterprise  would  be  pregnant.  The  Pyrenees  would  then, 
indeed,  exist  no  longer, — not  levelled,  as  the  ambition  of 
Louis  the  Fourteenth  would  have  had  them,  that  Spain  might 
be  an  appanage  of  France, — but  removed  for  ever,  as  a  barrier 
to  European  intercourse  and  the  march  of  European  civiliza- 
tion. Emboldened,  perhaps,  by  the  action  of  the  government 
in  regard  to  this  great' Northern  highway,  or  awakened  at  last 
to  a  sense  of  their  necessities  and  resources,  the  people  of  the 
South  have  also  laid  their  hands  to  the  work.  The  authorities 
of  Seville,  according  to  the  last  advices,  have  sought  permis- 
sion to  devote  the  proceeds  of  their  communal  property  also  to 
the  construction  of  a  railroad,  which  is  to  extend  at  least  to  the 
Sierra  Marena,  at  C6rdova.  The  nature  of  the  country  is  such 
as  to  present  few  formidable  obstacles  to  this  enterprise,  and 
its  success  would  develop  the  riches  and  command  the  trade 
of  the  very  garden  of  Spain.  From  Cadiz  to  Jerez  and  to 
Seville  a  line  is  in  process  of  active  construction. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  mention  a  host  of  minor  enterprises, 
projected,  or  more  or  less  advanced,  and  which,  though  many 
39 


306  SPAIN. 

of  thera  may  fail,  must  nevertheless  result  in  something,  here 
and  there,  of  great  and  permanent  advantage.  While  I  was 
yet  in  Madrid,  a  Committee  on  Railroads,  appointed  by  the 
House  of  Deputies,  was  holding  its  sessions  during  the  recess 
of  the  Cortes.  It  was  headed  by  Don  Salustiauo  de  Olozaga, 
the  distinguished  Progresista,  an  able  and  enlightened  public 
man.  Its  meetings  were  attended  by  several  accomplished 
engineers,  foreign  and  native,  and  by  many  prominent  capi- 
talists and  enterprising  and  public-spirited  citizens,  who  were 
summoned  for  the  purpose  of  consultation.  The  committee 
was  active  in  seeking,  from  them  and  from  other  trustworthy 
sources,  such  practical  and  scientific  information  as  would 
enable  its  members  to  report  the  most  judicious  and  promising 
scheme  of  general  internal  improvement.  What  was  the  result 
of  its  labors,  in  view  of  the  dissolution  of  the  Cortes  and  the 
change  of  ministry  which  followed,  I  have  never  ascertained. 
It  was,  as  I  learned,  the  first  parliamentary  inquisition  ever 
held  in  Spain,  and  was  regarded  with  great  favor  and  interest, 
on  that  account  and  as  a  valuable  precedent. 

Pending  the  action  of  the  Cortes,  a  royal  decree  was  pro- 
mulged,  prescribing  the  mode  of  applying  for,  and  the  condi- 
tions of  obtaining,  the  privilege  of  railway  construction.  It 
involved — as  the  Spanish  policy  in  such  matters,  by  analogy 
to  the  French  system,  now  always  involves — a  participation 
by  the  government  in  the  control  of  the  companies,  which  is 
foreign  to  all  our  notions  of  private  enterprise  and  of  a  judi- 
cious and  politic  laissez  faire.  It  provided,  among  other  things, 
for  a  guaranty  by  the  government  to  the  companies  of  a 
minimum  interest  of  six  per  cent,  on  their  investments, — to 
commence  from  the  completion  of  the  works, — together  with  a 


SPAIN.  307 

sinking  fund  of  one  per  cent,  upon  certain  conditions.  All 
the  guaranties  of  the  government  were  to  be  of  no  obligation, 
in  case  the  works  should  cease,  or  the  operation  of  the  roads 
be  susjjended,  by  the  default  of  the  stockholders.  The  one 
per  cent,  sinking  fund  was  to  be  continued,  until  the  capital 
should  be  extinguished,  or,  in  other  words,  until  the  govern- 
ment should  become  the  purchaser  of  the  works. 

It  is  not  to  be  denied,  that  the  exercise  of  a  little  more 
control,  in  our  own  country,  by  government,  over  the  immense 
corporations  on  which  railway  privileges  are  conferred,  would 
be  exceedingly  salutary, — conducive  at  once  to  the  interest  and 
safety  of  the  citizen,  and  not  unjust  or  disadvantageous  to  the 
corporators.  But  the  mania  which  possesses  the  governments 
of  the  Continent  to  mingle  themselves  with  every  public 
enterprise,  and  be  part  and  parcel  of  every  speculation  in 
which  two  or  three  are  gathered  together,  is  one  which  a 
constitutional  system  must  counteract,  if  it  would  avail  any 
thing.  It  often,  in  the  long  run,  works  its  own  retribution. 
The  powers  which  control  every  thing,  for  their  own  advan- 
tage, are  often  made  to  bear  the  brunt  of  every  thing,  to  their 
sorrow.  The  government  is  seen  in  so  many  things,  that  it  is 
believed  to  be  in  all.  When  the  crops  failed  in  France,  the 
peasantry  of  Louis  Philippe  could  with  difficulty  be  persuaded 
that  it  was  not  all  the  fault  of  "  ce  diable  de  roi "  .'  And  the 
diable  de  roi,  poor  fellow !  paid  dearly  for  it  at  last. 

Although  there  is  a  great  deal  of  disposable  capital  in  Spain, 
— much  more  than  is  commonly  believed  in  other  countries, — 
the  success  of  the  railroad  enterprises  in  contemplation  must 
depend  in  a  great  degree  upon  the  readiness  of  foreign  capital- 
ists to  embark  in  them.     This,  in  its  turn,  must  depend  upon 


308  SPAIN. 

their  confidence  in  the  permanency  of  existing  institutions,  and 
in  the  preservation  of  peace.  Capital  cannot  possibly  be  led 
into  channels, — no  matter  how  tempting, — which  may,  at  any 
moment,  be  diverted  or  be  drained  by  the  outbreaking  of 
revolutions,  or  the  fluctuations  of  civil  war  and  an  irregular 
government.  The  same  rule,  indeed,  applies  to  domestic  as 
well  as  foreign  capital,  for  the  root  of  all  evil  is  not  often 
watered  by  patriotism,  and  Spanish  capitalists  heretofore  have 
been  wise  enough  to  know  the  difference,  in  the  matter  of 
investment,  between  the  British  and  the  Spanish  per  cents. 
Of  late  years,  however,  things  have  changed  greatly  in  this 
regard.  Capital  has  begun  to  abandon  its  former  absenteeism, 
and  now  stays,  for  the  most  part,  at  home,  to  produce  where 
it  is  produced.  The  same  confidence  which  has  caused  this, 
has  given  the  same  direction  to  much  foreign  wealth.  British 
stockholders  are  largely  interested  in  the  works  already  com- 
pleted, and  many  of  those  projected  have  too  many  probabilities 
of  success  and  of  large  returns,  not  to  command  a  similar 
support.  The  knowledge  of  this  fact, — of  the  prosperity,  the 
development,  the  power  it  will  bring, — and  a  conviction  that 
peace  and  permanent  institutions,  steadily  administered,  are 
necessary  to  secure  these  blessings, — will,  of  equal  necessity, 
tend  to  preserve  that  peace  and  permanence.  Nations,  for  the 
most  part,  are  governed  by  the  convictions  of  the  mass  of  their 
citizens, — especially  by  their  convictions  as  to  matters  of 
interest ;  and  thus  is  true,  for  another  reason,  what  was 
observed  in  the  opening  of  this  chapter, — that  the  internal 
improvement  of  Spain  is  as  vital  to  her  civilization  and  good 
government,  as  to  her  material  prosperity. 


XXVII. 

ImPRO\'EMENT  in   AORICIJT.TrRE  AND  ITS  CAUSES. — IMPROVED  VaLUE  OF 

Land. — Territorial  Wealth  and  Production. — Practical 
Farmers. — Espartero. — Agricultural  Education. — Economical 
Societies. — Agricultural  Bltieau  and  its  Action. — Irrigation. 
— Geological  Chart. — Colonization  of  Waste  Land. — Irish 
Colonists. — Dairy  of  Madrid. — Advancement  in  Manufactures 

AND    CoMSIERCE. — PROHIBITORY    DUTIES. — EXPORTS    AND    IMPORTS. 

— Steam  Coasters  and  Coasting  Trade. — Manufactures. — 
Catalan  Monopolies. — Manufacturing  Eesources  of  Spain. — 
Modifications  of  the  Tariff. — Silk  and  Woollen  Fabrics. — 
Flax,  Hemp,  and  Iron. — National  Arsenals  and  Foundries. 

THE  subdivision  of  the  Church  property  in  Spain,  and  its 
passage  into  the  hands  of  the  laity,  would  alone  be 
sufficient  to  account  for  the  improvement  in  agriculture  since 
the  establishment  of  the  constitutional  system.  The  immense 
tracts  of  land  accumulated  in  mortmain  were  always  regarded, 
by  the  wisest  agricultural  economists  of  the  kingdom,  as  the 
chief  cause  of  the  torpor  formerly  so  prevalent  in  that  impor- 
tant branch  of  public  industry.  Though  always  administered 
considerately,  and  with  becoming  forbearance  towards  the 
tenants,  the  estates  of  the  Church — in  addition  to  the  other 
evils  which  their  possession  involved — were  notoriously  mis- 
managed as  to  productiveness.  There  were,  of  course,  excep- 
tions to  the  rule,  but  poverty  and  raggedness  surrounded  the 

309 


310  SPAIN. 

wealthiest  ecclesiastical  endowments  so  generally,  that  to  say 
a  neighborhood  was  "clerical,"  (de  cUrigos,)  was,  emphatically, 
to  apply  to  it  the  strongest  proverbial  phrase  for  wretchedness 
and  desolation. 

Other  and  most  serious  impediments  to  agricultural  progress 
have  been  removed  by  the  abolition  of  tithes  and  other  eccle- 
siastical dues  and  perquisites,  as  well  as  by  the  suppression  of 
the  multiform  prescriptive  imposts  formerly  levied  by  the  state 
upon  real  property,  and  the  substitution  of  a  uniform  system 
of  assessment  and  taxation.  Notwithstanding  the  unequal 
manner  in  which  the  present  tax-laws  occasionally  operate  in 
their  details,  the  evils  which  result  from  them  are  purely 
administrative,  and  susceptible  of  practical  remedy ;  but  the 
old  system  was  so  vicious  in  all  its  principles,  and  so  mani- 
festly partial  and  oppressive,  that  its  existence  was  altogether 
inconsistent  with  the  possible  prosperity  of  the  landed  interest. 

It  will  not  have  escaped  the  reader,  that  the  internal 
improvements  referred  to  in  the  last  chapter,  as  actually  com- 
pleted, must  be  an  item  of  controlling  importance  in  all  calcu- 
lations of  agricultural  promise.  Those  in  progress,  also,  or 
serious  contemplation,  cannot  fail  to  give  great  encouragement 
to  rural  labor,  and  increased  value  to  real  estate.  In  some 
districts,  it  is  a  familiar  fact,  that  the  wine  of  one  vintage  has 
to  be  emptied,  in  waste,  in  order  to  furnish  skins  for  the  wine 
of  the  next, — the  difficulty  and  cost  of  transportation  to 
market  being  such,  as  utterly  to  preclude  the  producer  from 
attempting  a  more  profitable  disposition  of  it.  Staples  of  the 
most  absolute  and  uniform  necessity — wheat,  for  instance — are 
at  prices  absurdly  different  in  different  parts  of  the  kingdom ; 
the  proximity  to  market  being  such  as  to  give  them  their  cur- 


SPAIN.  311 

rent  value  in  one  quarter,  while  in  another  they  are  perhaps 
rotting  in  their  places  of  deposit,  without  the  hope  of  a 
demand.  Until  such  a  state  of  things  shall  have  been  cured, 
it  will  be  useless  to  improve  the  soil,  or  stimulate  pro- 
duction in  the  secluded  districts ;  and  of  course  every  cir- 
cumstance which  wears  the  promise  of  such  cure  must  enter 
into  the  calculations  of  the  future,  and  avail  in  them,  accord- 
ing to  its  probabilities. 

Other  important  pieces  of  legislation,  which  may  not  be 
enumerated  here,  such  as  the  abolition  of  entails,  <fec.,  have,  no 
doubt,  combined  with  those  just  mentioned,  to  give  an  impulse 
to  agricultural  industry  and  the  public  good- will  in  its  behalf; 
for  it  is  a  significant  fact,  that,  notwithstanding  the  immense 
amount  of  land  thrown  into  the  market  by  the  Church  confis- 
cations, the  value  of  agricultural  property,  and  of  real  estate 
generally,  has  been  steadily  increasing  throughout  the  greater 
part  of  the  kingdom,  since  the  termination  of  the  civil  war. 
Indeed,  the  Church  property  itself  has  commanded  an  average 
of  nearly  double  the  price  at  which  it  was  officially  assessed, 
according  to  the  standards  of  value  at  the  time  of  its  seizure. 
If  any  reliance  is  to  be  })laced  upon  the  statistical  information 
which  ISIellado  has  collected  in  his  Guia  del  Forastero,  the  ter- 
ritorial wealth  of  Spain  was  estimated  in  1849  at  $369,400,000, 
being  nearly  $116,000,000  more  than  it  was  supposed  to 
amount  to  in  1803.  It  is  stated  in  the  same  work,  that  the 
yearly  product  of  the  soil  is  now  nearly  $3,000,000  greater 
than  at  the  last-mentioned  date,  while  the  quantity  of  land  in 
cultivation,  which  then  scarcely  amounted  to  one-ninth  of  the 
whole  soil,  has  now  risen  to  more  than  two-sevenths.  What 
scope  there  yet  is  for  the  wisdom  of  the  government  and  the 


312  SPAIN. 

industry  and  enterprise  of  the  people,  the  last-mentioned  fact 
will  sufficiently  show. 

There  is  no  better  sign  of  a  healthy  national  feeling,  in  regard 
to  agriculture,  than  that  many  persons  of  influence  and  position 
have  begun  to  take  a  personal  interest  and  participation  in  the 
superintendence  and  cultivation  of  their  farms,  and  the  adoption 
of  the  improvements  suggested  by  modern  science.  Of  this — 
a  thing  until  lately  altogether  unknown  in  Spain — tiie  Ex- 
Regent  Espartero  is  a  most  respectable  illustration.  He  derived 
from  marriage  an  excellent  estate  near  the  venerable  Castilian 
city  of  Logrono,  in  a  fertile  and  delightful  quarter,  on  the 
borders  of  Aragon.  Having  retired  to  it,  since  his  return 
from  England,  he  has  dev^oted  his  time  and  attention  almost 
exclusively  to  the  development  of  its  resources,  and  tlie  appli- 
cation of  new  methods  of  cultivation.  These  it  is  his  effort  to 
make  as  general  as  possible  among  his  neighbors,  and  I  am 
informed  that  the  influence  of  his  example  has  been  materially 
beneficial  already.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  he  will  thus 
establish  another,  and  a  just,  though  modest,  claim,  to  the  title 
of  public  benefactor.  To  that  title, — where  it  involves  the 
outlay  of  private  fortune,  without  any  chance  of  remuneration, 
with  usury,  from  the  public  chest, — there  are  but  few  preten- 
dlentes,  and  the  Duke  may  probably  flatter  himself  that  he  has 
at  last  reached  one  position,  which  he  may  retain, — as  long  as 
he  is  content  with  it, — without  fear  of  jealousy  or  exile. 

The  existing  scheme  of  national  education  makes  provision 
for  the  delivery  of  public  lectures  on  agricultural  science,  and 
the  instruction  of  students  in  matters  connected  with  that 
branch  of  industry.  There  are  other  institutions,  besides, 
under  the  care  of  the  various  Economical  Societies,  in  the  prov- 


SPAIN.  313 

inces,  which  are,  perhaps,  still  more  useful.  These  societies, 
origiuating  in  the  enlightened  views  of  Jovellanos  and  men 
like  him,  have  been  of  incalculable  service  to  the  general 
industry  of  the  nation,  since  the  comparative  freedom  of  later 
days  has  given  scope  to  their  investigations  and  reports. 
Many  papers  of  great  ability  have  proceeded  and  continue 
to  proceed  from  them,  and  they  are  constantly  diffusing 
information  upon  all  matters  connected  with  the  material 
development  of  the  nation.  There  is  an  excellent  periodical 
conducted,  in  Madrid,  by  the  society  of  "  Friends  of  the 
Country  "  {Amigos  del  Pais),  in  which  the  most  creditable 
essays  are  constantly  appearing,  and  the  experience  and  dis- 
coveries of  more  prosperous  nations  are  applied,  with  great 
industry  and  assiduity,  to  the  removal  of  prejudices  and  the 
extirpation  of  antiquated  notions  and  methods.  In  some  of 
the  other  cities,  I  am  informed  that  similar  journals  are 
successfully  dedicated  to  the  same  work.  As  an  evidence  that 
they  are  not  without  effect,  I  may  mention,  that  in  Catalonia, 
Valencia,  and  Murcia,  where  innovation  was,  not  long  ago,  a 
sin,  the  use  of  guano  as  a  manure  has  been  adopted,  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  within  the  last  two  years.  I  have  occasion 
to  know,  that  its  application  has  been  so  successful,  and  the 
demand  for  it  has  begun  so  to  increase,  that  Spain  is  now 
looked  to  as  a  growing  and  prospectively  important  market, 
by  those  who  regulate  its  distribution. 

The  interests  of  agriculture,  until  October,  1851,  were 
protected  by  the  same  Department  which  presided  over  com- 
merce, education,  and  public  works.  They  now  depend  upon 
the  new  Department  of  Fomento.  About  $100,000  were 
appropriated  to  the  agricultural  branch,  by  the  budget  of 
40 


314  SPAIN. 

1850, — over  and  above  the  expenses  of  the  board  for  the 
superintendence  of  canals  for  irrigation, — an  indispensable 
part  of  the  system  of  cultivation  in  some  of  the  most  fertile 
portions  of  the  kingdom.  While  I  was  in  Spain,  many 
measures  for  the  improvement  of  agriculture,  in  its  various 
branches,  were  adopted  by  the  Department,  of  its  own  motion 
and  upon  the  suggestion  of  the  Economical  Societies.  I  re- 
member being  amused  by  a  royal  order,  with  a  long  preamble, 
directing  the  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences,  at  Madrid,  "  sin 
levantar  mano  "  (without  lifting  hand  from  the  work),  to  offer 
proposals  for  the  best  essay  on  the  causes  of  the  constant 
droughts  in  the  provinces  of  Murcia  and  Alraeria,  together 
with  the  means  of  preventing  them,  or  counteracting  their 
effects.  It  was  possible  to  understand  that  the  consequences 
of  the  droughts  might,  to  some  extent,  be  remedied  artificially, 
but  as  the  preamble  asserted,  in  round  terms,  that  the  want  of 
rain  was  their  cause,  there  seemed  no  recourse  for  the  Academy, 
in  the  matter  of  prevention,  except  to  Professor  Espy  or  the 
astronomer  in  Rasselas.  The  minister,  however,  seemed  quite 
willing  to  get  what  he  could  out  of  the  weather-makers  for 
the  almanacs,  and,  in  addition  to  the  prize,  offered  to  compen- 
sate liberally  the  author  of  any  scheme  which  might  turn  out 
to  be  effectual.  I  never  was  able  to  ascertain  what  the  result 
of  the  concurso  was.  Probably  it  never  had  any.  Many  of 
the  other  movements  of  the  Department  were  of  an  eminently 
practical  character.  New  plans  of  irrigation  were  attempted. 
Premiums  were  offered  for  successful  essays  on  agricultural 
subjects,  and  successful  efforts  in  cultivation.  An  appropria- 
tion of  $7,500  was  made,  in  1850,  towards  the  completion  of 
a  geological  chart  of  the  kingdom,  already  then  in  progress. 


SPAIN.  315 

Horses  and  cattle  were  impoiied,  and  schemes  devised  for 
the  improvement  of  the  native  breeds  of  domestic  animals. 
Inquiries  were  instituted  into  the  causes  of  the  failure  of 
particular  branches  of  agricultural  production,  once  valuable 
but  now  almost  extinct,  and  plans  were  matured  for  their 
restoration. 

It  was  but  lately  that  the  papers  of  Madrid  gave  the  details 
of  an  arrangement,  said  to  have  been  entered  into  by  the 
government  with  an  association  in  London,  for  the  establish- 
ment of  colonies  of  Irish  Catholics  on  some  of  the  waste  lands 
belonging  to  the  crown,  many  of  which  are  admirably  adapted 
to  agricultural  purposes.  The  capital  of  the  company  was  said 
to  be  £500,000,  actually  paid  in,  and  the  scheme,  as  reported, 
was  a  very  feasible  one.  There  has  always  been  a  decided 
sympathy  between  the  Irish  and  the  Spaniards  ;  indeed,  in 
many  points,  the  Andalusian  and  the  Irish  character,  mental 
and  moral,  are  strikingly  alike.  The  movement,  if  successful, 
would  be  of  infinite  importance  to  Spain,  and  would  furnish 
the  colonists  with  a  congenial  asylum,  and  the  opportunity  of 
acquiring  a  comfortable  competence.  It  is,  I  believe,  a  just 
observation,  in  regard  to  the  Irish,  that,  although  reckless  and 
improvident  in  poverty,  and  of  small  resource  in  devising 
means  to  escape  from  it,  they  are  industrious  and  energetic  in 
prosecuting  what  they  have  practically  discovered  to  be  profit- 
able, and  careful,  to  a  singular  extent,  in  preserving  and  in- 
creasing the  proceeds  of  successful  labor.  Of  this  their  career 
in  the  United  States  furnishes  constant  illustration.  If  the 
Spanish  government  and  the  company  having  a  colonial  move- 
ment in  charge  would  be  careful  to  bear  these  traits  in  mind, 
and  to  leave  no  stone  unturned  for  the  establishment  of  the 


316  SPAIN. 

proposed  colonies,  from  the  first  movement,  on  a  substantial 
and  permanent  basis,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  such 
a  plan  would  now  have  a  far  different  result,  than  that  which 
attended  the  nuevas  poblaciones  of  poor,  persecuted  Olavide, 
in  Andalucia. 

The  traveller  visiting  Madrid  will  be  quite  edified  by  seeing 
on  many  signs,  in  some  of  the  principal  streets,  the  words 
"  Casa  de  Vacas^^  (House  of  Cows),  with  an  accompanying 
illustration,  in  oil  colors,  of  a  cow  in  the  process  of  milking. 
Additional  signs  will  inform  him,  that  "  the  cows  will  be 
milked  in  the  purchaser's  presence,  if  desired,"  so  that  it  will 
be  his  own  fault  if  he  labors  under  the  slightest  uncertainty 
as  to  the  orthodoxy  of  the  fluid  which  enters  his  household. 
He  will  find,  too,  that  from  these  establishments,  or  from  the 
agents  of  the  royal  dairy  at  Moncloa  (hard  by  the  city),  he  can 
obtain  fresh  butter  at  his  will,  without  paying  a  more  than 
moderately  exorbitant  price  for  it.  If  he  desires  to  be  eco- 
nomical, and  is  not  particular,  he  can  procure  excellent  salted 
butter,  direct  from  the  Asturias,  at  a  very  reasonable  rate. 
As  a  matter  of  creature  comfort,  he  will  not  find  these  facts 
altogether  unimportant  to  him,  but  this  would  hardly  justify 
referring  to  them  in  a  book,  did  they  not  furnish  an  illustration 
of  the  progress  making  in  a  material  department  of  rural 
industry.  If  he  should  chance  to  have  been  in  Spain  before, 
or  to  have  recently  sojourned  in  any  of  the  districts  where 
things  continue  to  be  as  they  were  in  the  beginning,  he  will 
rejoice  in  his  deliverance  from  goat's  milk  and  the  butter  pre- 
pared from  it,  or  that  insufferable  compound,  manteca  de  Flan- 
des  (Flemish  butter).  One  who  has  been  exposed  to  these 
things  will  deserve  to  be  pardoned,  if,  before  looking  on  the 


SPAIN.  317 

promised  land  as  Paradise,  he  distinguishes  in  regard  to  the 
milk  with  which  it  is  to  flow.  Among  many  of  the  Spaniards, 
however,  even  in  Madrid,  Capricornus  has  still  a  bright  place 
in  the  Milky  Way.  Towards  sunset,  every  evening,  flocks  of 
goats  may  be  seen  descending  the  streets  which  lead  from  the 
gates  into  the  heart  of  the  city.  They  have  been,  all  day,  upon 
the  arid  hills  about  the  neighborhood,  refreshing  themselves 
with  what  goats  only  could  construe  into  pasture ;  but  their 
distended  udders  illustrate  the  moral,  of  the  fulness  which  a 
little  may  bring  to  an  easily  contented  spirit.  As  they  go  by 
the  houses  of  their  customers,  the  maids  run  out  with  their 
milk-vessels  in  search  of  the  evening  supply.  The  goatherd 
seizes  the  nearest  of  his  flock,  and  proceeds  to  business  in  the 
middle  of  the  street,  while  the  rest  of  his  company,  immedi- 
ately conscious  of  a  pause  in  the  march,  bivouac  on  the  stones 
till  the  milking  is  over.  A  signal,  which  they  only  understand, 
then  sets  their  bells  in  a  moment  to  tinkling,  and  the  proces- 
sion advances,  at  its  leisure,  until  the  calling  of  another  halt. 
It  is  a  pleasant  little  rus  in  urbe,  to  look  at,  but,  like  many 
other  picturesque  objects,  its  appearance  is  the  best  of  it. 

As  this  work  in  no  wise  pretends  to  give  detailed  informa- 
tion of  any  sort,  but  merely  to  present,  as  generally  as  may  be, 
the  results  of  the  author's  observation,  and  of  such  know- 
ledge as  he  could  acquire  from  sources  which  he  had  reason  to 
believe  authentic, — it  will  not  be  expected  that  he  should 
dwell,  with  any  particularity,  upon  those  specific  details  which 
would  enable  the  reader  to  form  a  precise  idea  for  himself  of 
the  present  state  of  commerce  and  manufactures  in  Spain. 
As  has  before  been  observed,  statistics  do  not  exist  which 
would  furnish  trustworthy  data,  to  any  extent,  and  accident 


318  SPAIN. 

avails  quite  as  much  as  industry  in  the  acquisition,  by  piece- 
meal, of  such  facts  as  bear  importantly  on  these  subjects. 
Enough,  however,  may  be  easily  ascertained,  to  satisfy  an 
inquirer,  that  both  the  great  interests  referred  to  have 
profited  much  by  the  impulse  which  the  last  fifteen  years 
have  given  to  the  nation. 

It  is  a  very  illustrative  fact, — and  one  which  ought  to  have 
made  the  suicidal  policy  of  prohibitory  duties  as  obvious  as 
light, — that,  while  the  exportation  of  Spain  has  considerably 
more  than  doubled  itself  since  the  beginning  of  the  century, 
the  increase  in  imports  has  been  but  little  more  than  one  fifth. 
Not  only  that,  but  the  amount  of  exports,  which  in  1803,  or 
thereabouts,  was  not  more  than  half  that  of  the  imports,  ia 
now  nearly  equal  to  the  latter,  with  the  increase  which  has 
been  mentioned/  It  of  course  hardly  requires  to  be  remarked, 
in  view  of  these  statements  and  of  other  facts  which  have  been 
mentioned  in  the  chapters  immediately  preceding,  that  the 
advancement  of  Spain  in  the  value  of  her  importation  must 
depend  upon  the  freedom  with  which  her  ports  are  thrown 
open ;  and  her  exportation  must  be  greatly  governed  by  the 
success  of  the  schemes  devised  for  the  improvement  of  her 
agriculture,  and  the  perfecting  of  her  facilities  for  internal 
communication.  That  the  spirit  of  the  government,  in  these 
regards,  is  what  it  should  be,  has  been  already  stated  ;  but  the 
number  and  magnitude  of  the  obstacles,  both  moral  and 
physical,  to  be  overcome,  and  the  Spanish  proclivity  to  the 
poco  d  poco  (little  by  little)  policy,  in  all  things,  will  prevent 

^In  1850,  the  imports  were  about  thirty  millions  of  dollars,  an  increase 
of  five  millions  over  1849 ;  the  exports  were  about  twenty-four  millions, 
an  increase  of  about  half  a  million. 


SPAIN,  319 

a  more  than  small  delay  from  being  at  all  remarkable.  Some 
alterations,  too,  will  be  required  in  the  navigation  laws,  which 
are  now  far  from  being  liberal ;  but  these  will  necessarily  fol- 
low. A  robust  natural  growth  is  very  sure  to  burst  asunder 
almost  any  artificial  bonds.  It  is  only  when  that  growth  is 
hindered  at  its  sources,  that  vigorous  expansion  is  prevented. 
The  weakness  of  the  plant  has  effect  in  that  case,  not  the 
strength  of  the  restraint. 

The  reader,  whose  interest  in  the  facilities  of  travelling 
may  be  blended  with  his  curiosity  as  to  the  commercial  pro- 
gress of  the  Spaniards,  will  be  gratified  to  know  that  the  whole 
coast  is  now  visited,  almost  daily,  in  its  most  important  points, 
by  excellent  steamers,  provided  with  all  desirable  accommoda- 
tions for  passengers.  There  is  a  line  established  between 
Malaga  and  Havre,  which  touches  regularly  at  Cadiz,  Lisbon, 
and  Vigo,  and  there  is  constant  intercourse,  by  other  lines, 
between  Marseilles,  Barcelona,  Valencia,  Alicante,  Cartagena, 
Almeria,  Malaga,  Gibraltar,  and  Cadiz.  With  Madeira  and 
Cuba  there  is  regular  steam-communication  also,  though  of 
course  not  quite  so  frequent.  This  state  of  things,  in  itself, 
goes  to  show  a  most  material  improvement  in  the  coasting- 
trade,  which  cannot  fail,  in  its  turn,  to  develop  the  interests 
that  serve  it.  As  has  been  observed  in  another  connection,  it 
is  both  an  effect  and  a  cause, — as  significant  in  the  one  point 
of  view,  as  it  must  necessarily  be  important  in  the  other. 

In  the  "Glimpses  of  Spain"  I  had  occasion  to  note  the 
improvement  in  manufactures  which  was  making  itself  con- 
spicuous in  1847.  It  is  in  my  power  to  add  but  few  details 
to  those  which  were  there  given.  The  public  documents  fur- 
nish but  little  precise  information,  and  such  matters  have  not 


320  SPAIN. 

been  much  inquired  into  by  writers  of  authority.  A  good 
deal  of  exact  and  trustworthy  statement  might,  it  is  true,  be 
collected  from  the  Geographical  Dictionary  of  Madoz,  to  which 
reference  has  already  been  made ;  but,  from  the  nature  of  that 
work,  its  details  are  spread  over  so  wide  a  surface,  as  to  make 
the  task  of  grouping  them  almost  endless. 

The  Catalan  cotton-manufacturers  were  besieging  the  Cortes, 
in  1849-50,  with  memorials  and  remonstrances  of  a  most 
doleful  character,  in  which  it  was  set  forth  that  they  had  been 
compelled  to  close  many  of  their  factories,  and  had  been  brought, 
generally,  to  the  brink  of  ruin,  by  the  alteration  of  the  tariff 
on  imports.  I  had  information  from  a  source  on  which  I 
could  rely,  that  the  closing  of  the  few  factories  in  question 
was  a  dramatic  performance  for  the  benefit  of  the  monopolists 
engaged  in  it,  and  that  the  looms  were  straightway  set  in  motion 
again,  when  the  scheme  was  found  ineffectual  with  the  legisla- 
ture. As  the  genuine  manufactures  of  many  of  the  Catalan 
establishments  are  really  not  worth  protecting,  under  any  sys- 
tem of  political  economy,  and  as  a  large  quantity  of  the  wares 
which  they  sell  as  their  own  are  manufactured  in  England, 
and  smuggled  into  Barcelona,  with  the  names  of  the  ostensible 
makers  already  on  the  bales,  it  would  be  little  short  of  a  bless- 
ing to  the  legitimate  production  of  Spain,  if  such  of  them 
were  closed  never  to  be  opened.  The  large  capital  which  the 
Catalans  have  acquired,  under  the  restrictive  system  of  so 
many  years,  gives  them,  in  a  great  degree,  the  command  of  the 
home  market ;  enabling  them  to  undersell — and  to  smuggle 
ad  libitum  for  the  purpose  of  underselling — their  more  honest 
and  less  wealthy  competitors.  Many  of  these  last,  however, 
have  begun  to  thrive,  notwithstanding,  under  the  auspices  of 


SPAIN.  321 

the  modified  tariff, — restrictive  as  it  still  is;  and  all  that  any 
of  them  can  require  to  insure  success,  is  sufficient  capital  to 
sustain  them  against  the  first  onslaught  of  the  monopolists. 

There  is,  in  fact,  no  reason  whatever,  in  the  nature  of 
things,  why  domestic  manufactures  should  not  succeed  in 
Spain.  Water-power  may  be  readily  commanded,  in  advan- 
tageous locations.  Coal  is  abundant,  for  all  possible  applica- 
tions of  steam.  Iron  is  excellent  and  cheap,  for  every  need  of 
the  workshop.  Labor  can  be  had  upon  the  most  moderate 
terms,  and  the  cost  of  subsistence  is  so  trifling,  that  the 
operative  may  thrive  and  be  happy  on  the  limited  fruits  of  his 
toil.  Ingenuity  and  industry  are  as  accessible  as  elsewhere, 
and  sobriety  and  frugality  are  pervading  characteristics  of 
the  people.  No  effort,  made  with  ordinary  prudence  and 
backed  by  sufficient  means,  has  yet  failed  in  turning  these 
natural  advantages  to  account.  Should  the  tariff  undergo  a 
thorough  modification, — as  sooner  or  later  it  must, — protective 
duties,  of  a  moderate  character,  will  probably  be  necessary,  for 
a  while,  to  enable  the  new  establishments  to  take  root ;  but 
legislative  aid  will  not  be  long  desirable.  The  Catalans  ought 
to  be  ready  to  encounter  foreign  competition  at  once ;  for  if, 
with  their  capital,  experience,  and  energy,  they  are  not  able  to 
protect  themselves,  after  so  many  years  of  restricted  importa- 
tion, manufacturing  industry  must  be  an  artificial  thing  with 
them,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  the  rest  of  the  country 
should  be  taxed  to  encourage  or  maintain  it.  At  all  events, 
the  duties  which  will  be  proper  to  develop  manuflicturing 
production — in  those  parts  of  the  kingdom  where  it  does  not 
exist,  but  in  which  nature  and  circumstances  indicate  the 
policy  of  its  establishment — will  be  all  that  the  Catalans  can 
41 


322  SPAIN. 

ask,  to  enable  them  to  hold  their  own.  It  is  more  than  likely 
that  they  will  avail  themselves  of  any  protection,  to  crush 
their  rivals  at  home;  but  Spanish  taxation  has  internal  facili- 
ties, which  may  meet  even  this  difficulty,  and  though  they 
should  not,  the  new  establishments  must  be  content  to  pay  the 
price,  which  one  need  not  be  a  manufacturer  to  know  that  all 
experience  in  this  world  costs. 

Of  late  years  there  has  been  a  considerable  effort  to  extend 
and  improve  the  production  and  manufacture  of  silk,  and  the 
result  has  been  very  favorable.  The  silk-worm,  formerly 
confined,  in  a  great  degree,  to  Valencia  and  Murcia,  is  now  an 
article  of  material  importance  in  the  wealth  of  the  two  Castiles, 
Eioja,  and  Aragon.  The  silk  fabrics  of  Talavera,  Valencia, 
and  Barcelona  are,  many  of  them,  admirably  wrought,  and  are 
sold  at  rates  which  appear  very  moderate.  I  had  particular 
occasion  to  note  the  cheapness  of  the  damasks  which  are  sold 
in  Madrid  from  the  native  looms.  It  is  not  easy  to  imagine 
any  thing  more  magnificent,  of  their  kind.  The  woollen 
cloths,  too,  of  home  manufacture,  are,  some  of  them,  very 
admirable,  and  the  coarser  kinds  supply,  I  believe,  a  consider- 
able part  of  the  national  demand.  In  cheapness,  I  have  never 
seen  them  surpassed.  The  finer  qualities  do  not  bear  so 
favorable  a  comparison  with  the  foreign  article ;  but  those  who 
were  familiar  with  the  subject  informed  me,  that  their  recent 
improvement  had  been  very  decided.  Many  laudable  efforts 
have  been  made  to  render  the  supply  of  wool  more  abundant, 
and  to  improve  its  quality;  and  there  has  been  a  considerable 
importation  of  foreign  sheep,  with  a  view  to  crossing  on  the 
native  breeds.  The  sheep-rearing  interest  is  so  very  large  in 
Spain,  that  any  material  improvement  in  the  quality  of  the 


SPAIN.  323 

wool  must  add  greatly  to  the  national  wealth,  as  well  as  to  the 
importance  of  the  woollen  manufacture  and  its  ability  to 
encounter  foreign  competition. 

In  the  general  movement  towards  an  increased  and  more 
valuable  production  of  the  raw  material  for  manufacture,  the 
flax  of  Leon  and  Galicia  and  the  hemp  of  Granada  have  not 
been  forgotten.  But  the  article  in  which  the  most  decided 
and  important  progress  has  been  made,  is  the  great  staple, 
iron.  In  1832,  the  iron-manufacture  of  Spain  was  at  so  low 
an  ebb,  that  it  was  necessary  to  import  from  England  the  large 
lamp-posts  of  cast  metal,  which  adorn  the  Plaza  de  Armas  of 
the  Palace.  They  bear  the  London  mark,  and  tell  their  own 
story.  A  luxury  for  the  in-doors  enjoyment  or  personal 
ostentation  of  the  monarch,  would,  of  course,  have  been 
imported  from  any  quarter,  without  regard  to  appearances. 
But  a  monument  of  national  dependence  upon  foreign  industry 
would  hardly  have  been  erected  upon  such  a  spot,  had  there 
been  a  possibility  of  avoiding  it  by  any  domestic  recourse.  In 
1850  the  state  of  things  had  so  far  changed,  that  there  were  in 
the  kingdom  twenty-five  foundries,  eight  furnaces  of  the  first 
class,  with  foundries  attached,  and  twenty-five  iron-factories, 
all  prosperously  and  constantly  occupied.  The  specimens  of 
work  from  these  establishments,  which  are  to  be  seen  in  the 
capital  and  the  chief  cities  of  the  provinces,  are  such  as  to 
render  the  independence  and  prospective  success  of  the  nation 
in  this  particular  no  longer  matters  of  question.  In  the 
beginning  of  1850  the  Marquis  of  Molins,  then  Minister  of 
Marine  Afiairs,  upon  the  petition  of  the  iron-manufacturers, 
directed  inquiries  to  be  made,  by  a  competent  board,  into  the 
quality  of  the  native  iron,  and  the  extent  to  which  the  home 


324  SPAIN. 

manufacture  might  be  relied  on  for  the  purposes  of  naval 
construction.  The  result  was  so  satisfactory,  that  in  March 
of  the  same  year  a  royal  order  was  issued  from  the  Department, 
directing  all  future  contracts  to  be  made  with  the  domestic 
establishments.  This,  indeed,  had  been  the  case,  since  1845, 
at  the  arsenal  of  Ferrol,  which  had  been  supplied  altogether 
from  the  iron- works  of  Biscay.  The  government,  however, 
had  determined,  for  the  future,  to  be  chiefly  its  own  purveyor, 
and  national  foundries  at  Ferrol  and  Trubia,  constructed 
without  regard  to  expense,  were  about  to  go  into  operation 
when  the  royal  order  was  published. 


XXVIII. 

Fink  Arts. — Galleries.— The  National  Museum  and  its  Treasures. 
— Academy  of  San  Fernando. — Marshal  Soult. — Murillo. — 
Architecture. — Public  Edifices. — Domestic  Architecture. — 
The  Escorial. — Fountains  of  Madrid. — Bronze  Equestrian 
Statues. — Spanish  Academy. — Academy  of  History. — National 
Library. — The  Armory. — Bull-Fights  of  1850. — Montes,  his 
Exploits,  Death,  and  Story. 

THE  state  of  the  fine  arts  in  Spain,  at  this  time,  is  not  such 
as  to  deserve  particular  consideration.  Sculpture  has 
hardly  any  votaries, — none,  certainly,  of  note, — and,  with  a  few 
exceptions,  painting  seems  to  lie  under  the  same  ban.  The 
Royal  Academy  of  San  Fernando,  intended  to  be  the  nurse, 
has  proved — as  academies  will  sometimes  prove — to  be  but  the 
stepmother  of  art ;  and  the  pictures  of  the  present  day,  which 
hang  upon  its  walls,  are,  for  the  most  part,  as  bad  as  if  they  had 
been  made  so  to  order.  The  younger  IMadrazo  is  unquestion- 
ably a  man  of  talent,  and  he  and  a  few  of  his  contemporaries 
are  doing  what  they  can  to  elevate  the  national  standard ;  but 
there  is,  nevertheless,  no  distinctive  Spanish  school  now  in 
existence,  and  no  art  in  any  degree  worthy  even  the  decadence 
of  a  people,  whose  earlier  masters  stood  so  near  the  summit. 

There  are  several  private  collections  in  Madrid,  which  well 
deserve  the  traveller's  attention  ;  but  the  National  Museum, 

325 


326  SPAIN. 

on  the  Prado,  is  such  a  world  of  art, — so  full  of  the  most 
remarkable  monuments  of  genius, — that,  except  for  the  grati- 
fication of  a  casual  curiosity,  or  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  the 
few  great  works  at  the  Academy  or  the  Trinidad,  no  man  of 
taste  will  care  to  carry  his  researches  beyond  it.  Some  writers 
complain  of  the  3Iuseo,  as  imperfect  in  some  of  its  departments, 
and  deficient  in  the  works  of  particular  epochs  and  painters, 
Spanish  as  well  as  Italian.  Yet  the  collection  is  so  various, 
and  its  wealth  is  so  prodigal, — the  gems  of  the  masters  and 
the  periods  represented  are  so  many  and  so  precious, — that  it 
is  little  short  of  wantonness  to  be  dissatisfied  because  the 
measure  of  perfection,  in  all  things,  is  not  filled  to  overflowing. 
A  collection  which  (according  to  Ford's  enumeration)  can  boast 
of  ten  Raphaels,  forty-three  Titians,  sixty-two  by  Rubens, 
sixty-two  by  Velazquez,  forty-six  by  Murillo,  fifty-two  by 
Teniers,  twenty-two  by  Vandyke,  ten  by  Wouvermans,  ten  by 
Claude  Lorraine,  and  more  than  two  thousand  pictures  in  all, 
— ranging  through  the  most  diversified  and  most  exalted  walks 
of  excellence, — may  well  deserve  the  title,  so  often  conferred 
on  it,  of  "the  finest  gallery  in  the  world." ^  It  contains  the 
choicest  spoil  of  church  and  convent, — the  treasures  of  the 
Escorial  and  the  Palace.  Its  riches  were  gathered  from  Italy, 
when  Spain  ruled  at  Naples,  and  from  the  Low  Countries, 
when  she  had  her  viceroys  there.  Titian  and  Rubens  dwelt 
at  Madrid  to  paint  for  it ;  Velazquez  searches  the  repositories 
of  Italian  art,  to  fill  it,  and  left  to  it  the  priceless  endowment 
of  his  own  most  perfect  works.     All  that  royal  munificence 

*  See  Vol.  II.  of  Ford's  Hand-Book,  p.  744,  where  a  great  deal  of  interest- 
ing critical  and  historical  matter  may  be  found,  in  the  author's  peculiar 
style. 


SPAIN.  327 

could  do,  was  done  lavishly, — at   times,  too,  when  Spanish 
kings  had  taste,  with  wealth  and  power  to  serve  it. 

The  Academy  of  San  Fernando  has  fallen  heir  to  a  few  very 
fine  pictures,  among  which  is  the  celebrated  St.  Isabel  of 
Hungary,  painted  by  Murillo  for  the  Hospital  of  La  Caridad, 
at  Seville,  and  carried  off  by  Marshal  Soult,  with  the  rest  of 
his  precious  booty.  On  its  return  from  Paris,  after  the  visit 
of  the  Allies,  the  St.  Isabel,  with  two  other  masterpieces  of 
the  great  Andalusian,  was  arrested  at  Madrid,  by  the  intrigues 
of  the  Academicians,  whose  influence  with  Ferdinand  was 
sufficient  to  prevent  the  restoration  of  all  three  to  the  sanctu- 
aries from  which  they  had  been  stolen.  It  was  by  consent  of 
his  Majesty,  I  believe,  that  the  free-booting  Marshal  was 
allowed  to  retain  his  individual  share  of  the  spoil,  and  thus 
occurred  the  singular  spectacle,  lately  exhibited  in  Paris,  of 
the  Queen  of  Spain  bidding,  at  an  auction,  for  the  rescue  of 
works  of  art  of  which  her  country  had  been  barbarously  plun- 
dered. 

The  complete  and  excellent  treatises  of  Head  and  Stirling 
have  made  the  works  of  the  Spanish  painters  so  well  known 
to  the  art-loving  world,  that  it  would  be  idle  to  comment  at 
length  upon  the  collections  at  Madrid,  even  if  my  familiarity 
with  the  subject,  or  the  scope  of  this  volume,  would  render 
such  details  appropriate.  I  may  observe,  however,  that  an 
admirer  of  Murillo  will  be  more  than  ever  satisfied — after  see- 
ing his  pictures  at  the  capital — of  the  entire  truth  of  the  remark, 
that  this  great  master  can  only  be  fully  understood,  and  appre- 
ciated fairly,  at  Seville,  where  he  won  his  fame.  It  is  there 
that  by  far  the  most  exquisite  of  his  productions  still  are, — 
the  most  interesting  subjects,  most  ably  treated ;  and  it  is  there 


328  SPAIN. 

only  that  he  can  be  seen,  in  his  own  colors,  unspoiled  and 
unpatched  by  Vandal  or  Academician.  In  this  judgment, 
almost  every  one  who  has  visited  Seville  will  probably  concur. 
The  further  conclusion  of  my  own,  with  which  I  venture  to 
accompany  it,  will  probably  find  fewer  supporters,  though  it 
has  the  countenance  of  some  whose  criticism  does  not  lack 
authority.  It  is,  tliat,  after  using  the  opportunity  ])resented 
by  the  Museo,  of  contrasting  Murillo's  paintings  directly  with 
the  masterpieces  of  the  greatest  artists, — with  a  vivid  remem- 
brance, too,  of  the  chefs-d'osuvre  of  the  Italian  galleries — I 
cannot  find  it  in  me  to  place  the  Spaniard,  in  point  of  genius, 
below  the  loftiest  of  them  all,  Raphael  not  excepted.  In  the 
incarnation  of  beauty,  ideal  or  merely  human, — in  a  sublimity 
and  dignity  which  borrow  nothing  from  the  Grecian  chisel, 
yet  have  the  purity  and  grace,  without  the  coldness,  of  its 
marble, — in  simplicity  and  tenderness  of  conception, — in  a 
magic  of  coloring,  where  tints  blend  imperceptibly  and  warmly, 
as  they  melt  into  each  other  in  the  clouds  and  sky, — I  confess 
that  my  uneducated  taste  gives  him  no  equal.  There  are,  no 
doubt,  defects  which  I  cannot  see,  and  details  which  others 
may  surpass ;  but  in  the  perfect  expression  of  a  poet's  highest 
thought,  his  canvas  is,  to  me,  unrivalled. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Royal  Palace,  which  is  certainly 
one  of  the  most  splendid  structures  in  Europe,  Madrid  has 
little  to  boast  in  the  higher  walks  of  architecture.  There  is 
not  a  church  in  the  whole  city,  with  the  exception  of  that  of 
the  Convent  of  Salesas  RealeSj'^v^hich  deserves  to  be  mentioned 
as  an  effective  work  of  art,  in  a  European  sense,  although  to 
Cisatlantic  eyes  many  of  them  would  seem  very  imposing, 
both  in  style  and  dimensions.     The  Custom-House,  on  the 


SPAIN.  329 

street  of  Alcald,  and  the  General  Post-Office,  in  the  Puerta 
del  Sol,  are  large  and  stately  buildings,  but  both  of  them,  and 
particularly  the  latter,  derive  their  principal  effect  from  their 
size.  Substantially,  the  same  thing  has  already  been  said  of 
the  new  Palace  of  the  Deputies,  and  it  may  with  equal  pro- 
priety be  repeated  in  regard  to  the  massive  edifice  on  the 
street  of  Atocha,  which  is  dedicated  to  the  Facultad  Medica. 
On  the  roof  of  the  portico  of  this  latter  building  sits  a  statue 
of  -^sculapius,  reminding  one  exceedingly,  by  its  position 
and  ponderosity,  of  the  effigy  of  Queen  Victoria,  mounted,  in 
like  case,  upon  the  Royal  Institution  at  Edinburgh.  The 
crushing  effect  of  both  brought  forcibly  to  my  recollection  the 
exclamation  of  John  Kemble  to  the  tyro  in  Hamlet,  who  did 
not  stare  sufficiently  aghast  at  the  awful  words  of  the  ghost : 

"  But  look !  amazement  on  thy  mother  sits  I " 

"  Imagine  rae.  Sir,"  cried  the  enraged  tragedian,  "  imagine  me, 
sitting  on  your  mother  ! " 

I  fortunately  had  no  familiarity  with  the  Medical  Faculty 
of  Madrid  which  gives  me  any  right  to  know,  from  experi- 
ence, what  iEsculapius  has  done  for  them  to  show  his  grati- 
tude. The  medical  school  ought  to  be  a  good  one,  and  the 
number  of  physicians  who  have  had  all  the  advantages  of 
Parisian  education  must  certainly  have  infused  into  the 
Peninsular  system  the  spirit  of  modern  science.  I  had  occa- 
sion, however,  to  obtain  some  information  in  regard  to  the 
death  of  a  grandee  of  Spain,  which  took  place  but  a  little 
while  before,  and  could  not  help  being  struck  with  the  extra- 
ordinary circumstances  under  which  he  was  reportetl  to  have 
departed  this  life.  "  Fallecio"  says  the  parish  certificate,  "  de 
42 


330  SPAIN. 

resultas  de  un  ataque  cerebral,  con  asfixia  del  corazon,  proce- 
dente  de  un  espasmo  general,  segun  certificacion  de  dosfaculta- 
tivos." — "  He  died  from  the  result  of  a  cerebral  attack,  with 
asphyxia  of  the  heart,  proceeding  from  a  general  spasm,  accord- 
ing to  the  certificate  of  two  physicians."  It  is  the  duty  of 
every  man  to  make  what  humble  contributions  he  may  to  the 
cause  of  science, — and  I  report  the  case  for  the  benefit  of  the 
profession  and  the  good  of  humanity  and  diagnosis. 

AVithin  a  few  years  past  (to  return  to  our  subject)  the 
domestic  architecture  of  Madrid  lias  wonderfully  improved, 
and  some  of  the  more  modern  palaces,  as  well  as  private 
buildings  of  less  pretension,  are  in  excellent  taste  and  of 
imposing  appearance.  I  have  already  alluded  to  the  stately 
beauty  of  the  street  of  Alcala,  with  the  splendid  triumphal 
arch  to  which  it  leads ;  and  there  are  other  of  the  public  ways 
which  would  do  no  discredit  to  any  capital.  The  taste  for 
buildings  of  immense  dimensions  has  taken  complete  posses- 
sion of  the  Madrilenos,  so  that  the  number  of  houses  is  actually 
smaller  than  it  was  some  years  ago,  although  the  population 
has  increased  considerably,  and  household  facilities  and  com- 
forts have  multiplied,  in  a  proportion  still  larger.  The  sites 
of  many  of  the  suppressed  monasteries  have  been  used  for  the 
erection  of  dwellings,  and  the  peculiar  taste  referred  to  has 
been  illustrated,  remarkably,  in  the  magnitude  of  some  of 
these.  The  Casa  de  Cordero,  or  del  Maragato,  as  it  is  some- 
times called,  is  probably  the  most  extensive  of  these  new 
structures.  It  occupies  the  grounds  of  the  ancient  convent  of 
San  Felipe  el  Real,  a  large  square  on  the  Calle  Mayor,  near 
the  Puerta  del  Sol,  and  is  distributed  into  an  almost  incredible 
number  of  suites  and  establishments,  public  and  private.     Its 


SPAIN.  331 

fronts  of  dressed  stone  are  in  admirable  taste,  and  all  its 
appliances  are  of  the  most  complete  and  highly  finished  char- 
acter. Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  its  value  and  extent,  from 
the  fact  that  its  daily  rent  exceeds  two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars.  The  owner,  Sr.  Cordero,  belongs  to  the  singular 
tribe  of  Maragaios,  in  Leon,  and  is  one  of  the  wealthiest  and 
most  enterprising  capitalists  of  Madrid.  He  was  a  Deputy  to 
the  Cortes  and  an  ardent  Progresista.  His  hand  is  in  every 
enterprise  of  public  benefit,  and  no  one,  perhaps,  has  done 
more  to  awaken  and  sustain  the  public  spirit,  of  which 
Madrid  is  reaping  the  advantages  so  signally. 

While  on  the  subject  of  architecture,  I  may  express  the 
disappointment,  in  many  particulars,  which  was  the  result  of 
my  visit  to  the  Escorial.  That  famous  edifice  is  certainly  of 
extraordinary  dimensions,  but  the  effect  of  its  size  is  almost 
entirely  lost,  as  you  approach,  in  the  dwarfing  contrast  of  the 
mountains  which  lie  behind  it ;  and  although,  as  you  wander 
through  the  innumerable  courts  and  corridors  and  quadrangles, 
a  wearying  sense  of  vastness  creeps  over  you,  it  is  not  one 
which  is  at  all  coupled  with  au  impression  of  architectural 
grandeur.  Indeed,  the  building  was  never  intended  as  a 
triumph  of  ornamental  art,  but  merely  for  the  purposes  of  a 
monastery,  and  with  the  necessary  adaptations.  It  is,  there- 
fore, no  discredit  to  the  original  architect,  Juan  de  Toledo, 
that  he  made  it  what  it  is, — nor  indeed  to  Philip  the  Second, 
that  he  did  not  cause  it  to  be  made  otherwise.  The  gridiron, 
it  is  true,  might  have  been  left  out  of  the  plan,  but  it  may  be 
doubted  whether — adopted  as  latitudinarily  as  it  was — it  did 
not  furnish  an  excellent  mode  of  arrangement,  for  a  building 
which  required  long  passages,  small  apartments,  and  many  and 


332  SPAIN. 

small  windows.  It  is  the  traveller's  mistake,  if  he  looks  for  a 
palace,  where  nothing  was  designed  but  a  shelter  for  cenobites. 

The  disappointment  caused  by  the  general  aspect  of  the 
monastery  was  lost  in  a  feeling  of  the  deepest  admiration,  when 
we  entered  the  great  chapel  in  its  centre, — the  most  impressive 
adaptation  I  have  ever  seen  of  classic  architecture  to  the  pur- 
poses of  Christian  worship.  It  is,  throughout,  of  dark  gray 
granite,  of  the  simplest  and  severest  Doric.  Its  dimensions 
are  colossal,  as  those  of  a  cathedral ;  the  piers  beneath  its  lofty 
cupola  as  massive,  in  proportion,  as  those  which  uphold  the 
dome  of  St.  Peter's.  Every  detail  is  in  solemn  keeping  with 
the  austerity  of  the  architect's  conception, — the  very  light, 
even  at  midday,  seeming  to  steal  with  shadowy  awe,  as  into 
the  presence  of  something  holy.  It  was  towards  sunset  of  a 
stormy  evening,  that  we  were  conducted,  through  long  galleries 
and  dreamy  cloisters,  into  the  front  of  the  great  choir.  But 
for  a  distant,  half-heard  chanting,  we  should  have  thought 
ourselves  alone  with  the  twilight.  There  was  no  painted 
glass, — no  fretwork, — no  quaint  device  or  cunning  tracery, — 
to  fill  the  waning  light  with  shapes  of  beauty  or  of  fantasy. 
The  sublimity  about  us  was  that  of  darkness  and  silence,  in  a 
temple  meet  for  them. 

In  singular  contrast  with  the  simplicity  of  the  chapel  is 
the  Panteon, — the  burial-place  of  the  Spanish  kings,  far 
down  beneath  the  high  altar, — a  work  of  later  days,  the 
florid  elegance  of  which  could  never  have  been  tolerated,  in 
such  a  connection,  by  the  chastened  taste  of  Herrera  or  his 
master.  Every  thing  that  is  gorgeous,  in  bronze  and  gilding 
and  jasper,  is  lavished  upon  the  charnel-house.  The  walls  of 
the  descent  to  it  throw  back,  like  mirrors,  the  glimmering  of 


SPAIN.  333 

the  tapers  that  you  hold,  and  you  are  warned  to  be  careful, 
lest  the  polish  of  the  marble  that  you  tread,  should  afford  no 
security  to  your  footsteps.  Save  the  reverential  aspect  and  bent 
body  of  the  old  monk  who  is  your  guide,  there  is  nothing  in 
the  sepulchre  or  its  appointments  to  wake  one  solemn  thought 
of  death,  or  lift  the  mind  towards  the  uncertainty  beyond  it. 
Were  it  not  for  the  grandeur  of  the  temple  which  is  above  it, 
— the  fame  of  some  few  of  the  monarchs  who  occupy  its  urns, 
— and  the  dignity  and  awe  with  which  the  genius  of  Quintana 
has  associated  it,  in  one  of  the  noblest  efforts  of  the  Spanish 
Muse, — the  Fanteon  would  be  but  a  tinselled  chamber,  without 
taste,  appropriateness,  or  moral. 

In  speaking  of  the  works  of  art  which  adorn  Madrid,  the 
attention  of  the  reader  may  very  well  be  called  to  the  sculpture 
of  the  fountains  in  the  Prado,  which,  though  not  of  the 
highest  order,  have,  nevertheless,  a  great  deal  of  merit,  both 
in  composition  and  execution.  The  size  of  the  groups  and 
figures  is  so  colossal,  that  they  form  conspicuous  features  in  the 
evening  view,  when  the  great  walk  of  the  capital  is  crowded 
with  its  cheerful  thousands ;  and  there  is  beauty,  as  well  as 
freshness,  in  the  glancing  of  the  waters  which  they  scatter  so 
copiously  round  them.  The  group  of  Cybele  is  perhaps  the 
most  admired,  but  I  was  particularly  struck  with  the  great 
fountain  of  Neptune,  in  the  winter  season,  when  the  breezes 
blew  chill  from  the  Guadarrama  Mountains.  There  was 
infinite  spirit  and  effect  in  the  gallant  style  in  which  the 
sea-god's  horses  seemed  to  be  flinging  the  icicles  from  their 
manes  and   nostrils. 

Of  the  bronzes  in  the  public  places  it  may,  I  think,  with 
justice  be  said,  that  Madrid  can  furnish  one  of  the  best  and 


334  SPAIN. 

one  of  the  worst  equestrian  statues  in  the  world.  The  latter 
is  the  effigy  of  Philip  the  Third,  in  the  wide  old  Plaza  Mayor 
which  was  the  work  of  his  reign.  It  seems  scarcely  possible 
that  the  sculptor  could  ever  have  seen  a  horse,  at  all  events  as 
the  animal  exists  at  present.  The  monarch's  steed  is  absurdly 
swollen,  and  his  action,  in  the  sort  of  amble  to  which  he  is 
condemned,  is  ingeniously  unnatural  and  clumsy.  The  whole 
work  would  suggest  the  idea  of  Bacchus  astride  a  barrel,  but 
that  the  attitude  of  the  rosy  god  has  generally  a  graceful  aban- 
don, of  which  the  awkward  and  unknightly  seat  of  the  king 
bears  not  the  slightest  trace.  Yet  the  statue  was  modelled, 
horse  and  man,  by  John  of  Bologna,  who  certainly  knew 
better,  and  was  finished  by  Pietro  Tacca,  the  author  of  the 
admirable  work  with  which  I  am  about  to  contrast  it. 

The  statue  of  Philip  the  Fourth,  formerly  in  the  Retiro  gar- 
dens, and  now  in  the  Plaza  de  Oriente,  is  quite  another  aifair ; 
but  Tacca  was  aided,  in  this  task,  by  a  drawing  from  the 
hand  of  Velazquez,  still  extant,  and  there  breathe,  throughout 
the  whole  production,  the  fire  and  spirit,  which  have  made  the 
equestrian  portraits  of  that  master  perhaps  the  finest  in  the 
world.  The  attitude  of  the  horse  is  rendered  somewhat  arti- 
ficial, by  its  conformity  with  the  rules  of  the  manege ;  but  the 
nostrils  are  distended,  the  fore  feet  beat  the  air,  and  even  the 
hind  feet,  on  which  the  whole  weight  rests,  appear  to  spurn 
the  earth.  The  seat  of  the  rider  is  matchless, — light,  grace- 
ful, and  yet  firm  as  a  centaur's.  The  touch  of  the  bridle- 
hand  is  as  delicate  as  the  best  training  for  the  lists  could  make 
it,  and  the  lace-work  of  the  sash  seems  floating  from  the  armor 
like  gossamer  upon  the  wind.  I  am  induced  particularly  to 
refer  to  this  work,  not  only  because  it  is,  beyond  dispute,  a 


SPAIN.  335 

masterpiece,  but  because  a  statement  has  recently  been  going 
the  rounds  of  the  American  press,  in  which  a  projected  cast, 
by  an  ingenious  native  artist,  is  spoken  of  as  the  only  attempt 
to  make  an  equestrian  statue  depending  altogether  for  suj>port 
on  the  hind  quarters  of  the  horse.  Philip  the  Fourth,  having 
perhaps  the  dread  of  his  predecessor's  effigy  before  him, 
insisted  that  his  charger  should  be  cast  as  in  the  gallop,  and 
availed  himself  of  the  influence  of  Christina  of  Lorraine,  then 
Grand  Duchess  of  Tuscany,  to  secure  the  services  of  Tacca  for 
that  purpose.  It  was  not  without  some  remonstrance  on  the 
part  of  the  sculptor,  that  the  will  of  the  king  had  its  way. 
A  full  account  is  given,  by  Ponz,  of  the  mode  in  which  the 
difficulties  of  the  subject  were  overcome ;  and  an  artist  of  the 
present  day  would  doubtless  find  matter  in  it  made  worthy 
his  consideration  by  the  triumphant  success  of  the  Floren- 
tine master.  The  weight  of  the  statue  is  eighteen  thousand 
pounds,  and  the  tradition  is,  that  the  sculptor  was  aided  in 
his  distribution  of  the  mass  by  the  suggestions  of  Galileo, 
his  contemporary  and  friend. 

If  it  were  any  part  of  my  intention  to  give  a  narrative  or 
descriptive  character  to  this  little  volume,  there  are  many 
interesting  public  institutions  in  Madrid  to  which  I  might 
profitably  direct  the  reader's  attention.  They  will  all  be 
found  mentioned  in  the  guide-books,  and  a  more  particular 
reference  to  them  would  be  foreign  to  my  present  purpose. 
Those,  however,  who  are  interested  in  the  purity  and  preser- 
vation of  the  Spanish  language,  will  be  pleased  to  know  that 
the  Academia  Espafiola  still  continues  its  labors,  and  that  they 
are  about  to  take  a  more  profitable  shape  than  of  late,  in  the 
production  of  a  new  and  complete  grammar  and  dictionary. 


336  SPAIN. 

The  latter  is  not  to  be  merely  the  republication,  which  has 
periodically  appeared  for  some  years  past,  but  a  thorough  and 
copious  work,  such  as  signalised  the  learning  of  the  Academy 
in  its  earlier  history.  Both  the  grammar  and  dictionary  are 
imperatively  called  for,  by  the  variations  in  orthography,  syntax, 
and  the  vocabulary  itself,  which  the  last  few  years  have  intro- 
duced into  the  works  of  even  the  most  approved  writers. 
The  Academy  has  many  members  peculiarly  qualified  for  such 
tasks,  and  the  result  of  its  labors  may  therefore  be  awaited 
with  interest. 

The  Academy  of  History,  to  the  sessions  of  which  the  un- 
merited honor  of  a  corresponding  membership  gave  me  admis- 
sion, was  occupied,  as  diligently  as  its  moderate  means  would 
allow,  in  the  publication  of  historical  manuscripts, — treasures 
of  which  yet  lie,  undeveloped,  on  its  shelves.  Some  of  the 
unpublished  books  of  Oviedo's  History  of  the  Indies  were  in 
a  state  of  preparation  for  the  press,  nothing  being  wanting  but 
a  portion  of  the  manuscript,  belonging  to  the  Queen's  private 
library, — to  which  access,  strange  to  say,  is  difficult,  even  for 
Academicians.  The  Padre  Baranda,  a  learned  member  of  the 
Academy,  was  intrusted  with  a  continuation  of  the  Espafia 
Sagrada  of  Flores,  and  the  publication  of  several  volumes  of 
Villanueva's  "  Literary  Voyage  to  the  Churches  of  Spain," 
which  are  yet  in  manuscript.  To  the  printing  of  these  latter 
works  a  liberal  contribution  was  made  by  the  Commissary  of 
the  Bull  of  the  Crusade, — their  ecclesiastical  merit  and  interest 
commending  them  a  good  deal  more  to  such  patronage,  than 
to  any  general  acceptation  in  the  literary  world.  The  Academy 
can  hardly  be  said  to  be  in  a  flourishing  condition,  so  far  as 
concerns  its  capacity  for   the   dissemination  of    knowledge. 


SPAIN.  337 

The  library  is  a  good,  and  in  some  measure  a  rare  one,  but  the 
want  of  room  renders  its  arrangement  and  classification  ex- 
tremely imperfect,  so  that — the  catalogue  being  in  manuscript 
and  not  clear  to  the  uninitiated— it  is  necessary  to  dejxind, 
almost  entirely,  upon  the  personal  familiarity  of  the  worthy 
librarian  with  the  sheep  of  his  pasture.  Under  such  circum- 
stances, and  in  the  absence  of  any  but  the  most  limited 
pecuniary  resources,  the  institution  is  necessarily  narrowed  in 
the  sphere  of  its  usefulness,  and  principally  serves  to  keep 
alive,  in  a  small  body  of  learned  and  indefatigable  scholars,  a 
quiet  devotion  to  the  literary  antiquities  of  their  country. 
Before  I  left  Madrid,  it  was  in  contemplation  to  remove  the 
collections  of  the  Academy  to  a  more  favorable  and  com- 
modious locality ;  and  it  may  be  that  some  impulse  will  thus 
be  given  to  its  labors,  which  will  enable  it  to  continue  worthy 
of  the  days  of  Clemencin  and  Navarrete.  So  far  as  industry 
and  learning  may  contribute  to  this  result,  there  is  enough  of 
both,  among  the  members,  to  insure  it. 

The  National  Library,  with  its  collection  of  130,000 
volumes,  is  an  excellent  institution,  so  far  as  it  goes, — a  per- 
fect model  in  its  arrangement,  and  in  the  liberality  with 
which  provision  is  made  for  the  convenient  and  satisfactory 
access  of  the  public.  The  apartments  are  many  and  comfort- 
able, and  the  attendants  as  numerous  and  courteous  as  could 
be  desired.  Those  who  are  interested  in  coins  and  medals  will 
find  an  extensive  and  admirable  collection  there, — probably 
unsurpassed  by  any  of  Europe  in  the  Arabic  department, 
which  owes  the  beauty  of  its  arrangement — so  often  praised — 
to  the  skill  and  learning  of  Don  Pascual  de  Gayangos.  The 
Library  is  obnoxious  to  the  same  complaint  which  has  been 
43 


338  SPAIN. 

made  in  regard  to  the  more  limited  collection  of  the  Academy 
of  History, — the  want  of  proper  and  complete  indexes. 
Those  which  exist  are  very  perfect,  down  to  their  date ;  but 
they  have  not  been  systematically  added  to  for  several  years. 
Being  in  manuscript  also, — of  which  there  is  but  one  copy, — 
they  furnish  the  most  limited  facilities,  even  where  they  are 
complete  ;  and  it  is  necessary  to  resort  to  the  officers  in  charge 
of  them  with  a  frequency  which  is  a  great  obstacle  to  uninter- 
rupted and  elaborate  investigation.  The  collection  of  books 
also  needs  modernising  very  much.  It  is  unequivocally 
behind  the  times,  and  meagre  in  its  stock  of  contemporary 
literature.  But  every  thing  cannot  be  done  at  once.  Material 
necessities  must  be  met,  before  intellectual  cravings  can  be 
satisfied.  Arms  must  have  yielded  long,  before  the  toga  can 
be  worn  as  a  familiar  garment. 

The  lover  of  romantic  antiquity  will  probably  find  nothing 
in  Europe  to  delight  him  more,  in  that  regard,  than  the  superb 
Atmier^a  (Armory)  near  the  Palace.  It  is  not  only  rich  in 
armor  and  weapons,  the  most  complete,  ingenious,  and  mag- 
nificent, in  themselves;  but  suggestive,  at  every  step,  of  all  that 
is  chivalrous  and  glorious  in  Spanish  history.  Suit  after  suit, 
bruised  in  the  bloodiest  frays, — swords  which  have  names  in 
song  and  chronicle, — shields  and  lances  which  have  driven 
back,  or  onward,  the  tide  of  famous  battle, — are  all  there,  as 
they  were  worn,  or  borne,  or  wielded,  by  king  and  champion, 
Moor  and  Christian.  Blades  of  the  Paladins, — the  mail  of 
the  Cid, — the  halberd  of  Peter  the  Cruel, — the  armor  of 
Isabella,  and  Boabdil,  and  Gonzalo  of  C6rdova, — the  casque 
of  the  captive  Francis, — the  harness  of  the  great  Emperor, 
his  victor,— of  Columbus  and  "stout  Cortes," — of  Guzman 


SPAIN.  339 

the  Good, — of  Ferdinand  the  Saint  and  Ferdinand  the 
Catholic — and  sinner  !  It  is  a  place  to  read  ballads  and  dream 
dreams,  and  ask  no  questions. 

As  an  historical  memorial,  I  was  struck  with  an  adargay 
or  Moorish  shield  of  dressed  leather,  which  belonged  to 
Charles  the  Fifth.  It  is  divided  into  four  compartments,  the 
upper  one  of  which,  upon  the  left,  contains  a  representation  of 
the  surrender  of  the  Alhambra.  Ferdinand  rides  on  the  out- 
side, on  a  white  charger ;  the  Queen,  on  a  white  palfrey,  is 
between  him  and  a  gray-haired  man,  supposed  to  be  the  Cardi- 
nal Mendoza.  They  are  entering  at  one  gate,  followed  by  their 
soldiery,  while  from  another  gate  of  the  same  tower  sallies 
Boabdil,  with  but  one  attendant.  The  similarity  of  this  pic- 
ture to  the  bas-relief  on  the  altar  of  the  Catholic  Sovereigns, 
in  the  Cathedral  of  Granada,  entitles  it  to  some  consideration 
as  illustrating  a  point  on  which  the  chronicles  diflfer.  I 
referred  to  the  question  in  the  Glimpses  of  Spain,  and  it  is 
hardly  of  sufficient  importance  to  deserve  more  than  the 
present  allusion. 

It  would  be  scarcely  pardonable  to  take  my  leave  of  Madrid, 
without  some  reference  to  the  bull-fights  of  the  famous  season 
of  1850.  Not  that  there  is  any  thing  new  to  be  said  or  sung 
upon  the  subject,  in  the  general, — nor  that  I  propose  to  say 
or  sing  what  has  been  heard  so  often  before  ;  but  that  the 
veteran  Montes,  "  the  first  sword  of  Spain,"  returned,  during 
my  visit,  to  the  scene  of  his  triumphs  which  he  had  for  six 
years  deserted,  and  his  advent  was  an  epoch  in  the  annals  of 
tauromachy.  When  it  began  to  be  rumored  that  he  was 
coming,  the  newspapers  were  wild,  and  the  people  in  ecstasy. 
He  brought  with  him  his  nephew,  the  famous  Chidanero ; 


340  SPAIN. 

and  the  Duke  of  VeraguaB,  a  grandee  of  Spain  and  the  lineal 
descendant  of  Columbus,  was  one  of  the  attorneys  who  con- 
tracted on  their  part  with  the  directors  of  the  Plaza.  A 
procession  of  the  fancy,  noble  and  gentle,  went  out  to  meet  him 
as  he  drew  near  Madrid,  and,  after  feasting  and  congratulation, 
he  entered  the  city  in  triumph.  His  first  performance  was  on 
the  afternoon  of  Easter  Sunday, — a  special  honor  to  the  day. 
The  Plaza  was  crowded  to  overflowing,  the  troupe  was  choice 
and  beautifully  equipped,  and  the  array  of  loveliness,  fashion, 
and  enthusiasm  not  to  be  surpassed.  The  great  matador  was 
received  as  a  victor  from  a  hard-fought  field.  He  bore  his 
laurels  modestly,  and  addressed  himself  at  once,  like  a  man, 
to  his  work. 

Though  past  the  prime  of  life  and  of  activity,  Montes  was 
conspicuous   for   his  athletic   form    and    perfect   composure. 

He  had 

"  The  eye  of  the  hawk,  and  the  fire  therein," — 

dexterity,  which  nothing  but  long  practice,  courage,  and  com- 
mand of  nerve  can  give,  in  the  presence  of  such  terrible  and 
instant  danger.  When  the  bull  came  in,  he  would  sit  for  a 
few  moments  on  the  barrier  and  watch  his  motions.  Appar- 
ently satisfied  as  to  the  character  of  the  animal  by  this  brief 
observation,  he  would  descend  into  the  arena,  and  place  himself 
where  he  pleased.  He  would  call  the  bull, — attract  and  mock 
him  with  his  cloak,  backwards  and  forwards  and  again, — and 
yet  not  desert  a  circle  of  ten  feet  in  diameter.  Where  the 
banderilleros  would  fly  and  leap  the  barrier,  he  would  avoid 
the  charge  by  the  slightest  inclination  of  his  body,  without  a 
step  to  the  right  or  left.  Once  I  saw  him  call  the  bull,  and 
as  the  furious  animal  rushed  towards  him,  Montes  confronted 


SPAIN.  341 

him  with  folded  arms  and  steady  gaze.  The  bull  turned 
instantly  aside,  and  attacked  some  other  of  the  company.  It 
seemed,  indeed,  as  if  his  mastery  over  the  wild  Ijrutes  was 
absolute, — as  if,  to  use  the  language  of  one  of  the  journals, 
"  they  knew  him  and  respected  him."  To  me,  I  confess, 
it  was  incomprehensible, — to  the  reader  it  will,  I  fear,  be 
incredible. 

The  killing  of  the  bull  by  Montes  was  a  very  miracle, — 
no  butchery,  no  side-blow,  no  loss  of  swords,  no  hurry,  no 
help.  In  one  and  the  same  instant  the  sword  flashed  behind 
the  crimson  cloak,  and  the  matador  was  wiping  the  blood 
from  his  blade,  with  the  victim  at  his  feet.  I  saw  the  whole 
Plaza  rise,  to  a  man,  in  admiration  of  one  such  blow.  The 
newspapers  were  absolutely  glorious  in  their  accounts  of  the 
maestro's  performances ;  but  the  details  of  their  descriptions, 
though  no  doubt  interesting  to  the  fancy,  were  as  unintel- 
ligible to  me,  as  the  history  of  a  milling-match  in  Bell's  Life 
in  London.  I  endeavored  to  educate  myself  up  to  the  proper 
level,  by  reading  the  treatise  of  Montes  himself  on  Tauroma- 
quia, — a  work  of  considerable  reputation  ;  but  I  found  it  as 
scientific  as  a  book  of  surgery,  and  as  deep  as  one  of  Mr. 
Emerson's  Essays.  Having  had  occasion,  at  the  time,  to 
turn  to  Ford's  Hand-Book, — which  is  full  of  knowledge  and 
admirable  description  in  regard  to  the  sports  of  the  arena, — 
I  fell  by  chance  on  that  singular  passage,  in  which  he  gives 
vent  to  his  nationality,  by  speaking  of  the  "quick  work" 
which  "  a  real  British  bull,  with  his  broad  neck  and  short 
horns,  would  make  with  the  men  and  horses  of  Spain  "  !  I 
could  not  but  feel  curious  to  know  what  the  patriotism  of 
the  writer  might  induce  him  to  think  of  a  boar-hunt,  with 
prize  pigs. 


342  SPAIN. 

Since  my  return  from  Spain,  Montes  has  fallen  before  a 
mightier  matador  than  himself, — having  died  of  a  fever,  or 
a  doctor,  at  home,  in  his  bed.  The  account  which  I  have 
of  his  decease  sets  down  his  age  at  forty-six.  In  the  ring, 
he  appeared  at  least  ten  years  older.     "Six  bull-fighters," 

says  his  chronicler,  "  bore  his  coffin  in  silent  sadness 

He  was  of  noble  family,  but  was  compelled,  by  the  reduced 
circumstances  of  his  father,  to  gain  his  subsistence  with  his 
own  hands.  The  destiny  of  a  day-laborer,  however,  did 
not  furnish  a  field  broad  enough  for  the  movements  of  his 
soul.  In  his  straits,  he  sought  a  door  to  the  temple  of  fame, 
— and  he  found  it.  He  elevated  his  art  to  a  height  unknown 
before,  and  the  whole  world  beheld  with  awe  the  triumphs  of 
his  skill  and  valor  !  " 

What  is  glory,  after  all?  And  what  lacks  Montes,  but 
his  Homer,  to  live  as  long  as  Ajax  ?  Is  not  the  hero  thrice 
blessed  who  slays  only  cattle  ? 


XXIX. 

Vallabolid.  — SiMAxcAs  AND  ITS  ARcni"VT:s. — Blasco  de  Garay  and 
THE  Application  of  Steam  to  Navigation. — His  In\tntion  a 
Fable. — Burgos. — Vergara. — Visit  to  Azpeitia. — Valley  of 
Loyola. — Jesuit  College  and  Church. — The  Basques. — Theih 
Character,  AgriculturEj  and  Institutions. — Tolosa. — Ride  to 
Bayonne. — The  Gascon. 

WHEN  I  left  Madrid,  the  duty  which  called  me  home- 
ward permitted  but  little  deviation  from  the  beaten 
track  by  wliich  I  had  entered  Spain.  I  took  advantage, 
however,  of  a  few  days'  leisure  and  the  agreeable  companion- 
ship of  a  fellow-countryman  and  friend,  to  visit  the  noble  old 
city  of  Valladolid,  and  the  works  of  art  which  are  still  so 
splendid  in  Burgos.  A  full  account  of  our  journey  would  be 
out  of  place  here,  and  the  objects  of  interest  which  we  passed 
in  review  would  be  unfairly  dealt  with,  if  treated  otherwise 
than  in  detail. 

From  Valladolid,  an  excursion  to  the  Archives  of  Simancas 
was  a  matter  of  course.  A  drive  of  two  leagues  or  thereabouts, 
along  the  banks  of  the  Pisuerga, — which  waters  a  beautiful 
and  highly  cultivated  valley, — carried  us  to  the  base  of  a  bold 
hill,  whose  summit  is  crowned  by  the  village  of  Simancas. 
High  over  all  rises  the  stern  old  castle,  with  its  round  towers, 
which  once  belonged  to  the  valorous  Heuriquez, — the  Admirals 

343 


344  SPAIN. 

of  Castille, — and  in  which  are  now  deposited  so  many  of  the 
most  important  records  of  the  Spanish  realm.  Making  our 
way  on  foot  up  the  precipitous  and  narrow  streets  of  the  town, 
we  at  last  reached  a  stone  bridge,  which  occupied  the  place  of 
the  old  drawbridge  and  led  us,  across  the  moat,  to  the  massive 
gateway  of  the  castle.  The  occupation  of  the  moat  was  as 
peaceful  as  that  of  the  grim  walls  it  girdled,  for  a  harvest  of 
luxuriant  grain  was  growing  along  its  deep  and  fertile  round. 

The  kind  letters  of  our  friends  at  Madrid  commended  us 
so  efficiently  to  the  good  offices  of  the  courteous  and  learned 
ai'chivero,  Sr.  Gonzalez  Garcia,  that  we  were  soon  introduced  to 
the  most  interesting  of  his  curiosities.  The  French  destroyed 
many  documents  of  value  and  removed  others, — partly  from 
wantonness  and  partly  to  obliterate  the  historical  traces  of  some 
transactions  and  mischances  of  their  own  ;  but  the  Archivo  is 
still  a  treasure-house  of  European  history,  and  access  is  now 
obtained  to  it  with  so  much  greater  facility  than  of  old,  that 
it  is  likely  yet  to  revolutionize  many  received  historical 
theories  and  dogmas.  The  History  of  Philip  the  Second,  now 
in  the  hands  of  our  eminent  fellow-citizen,  Mr.  Prescott,  will 
probably  affi)rd  early  evidence  in  this  behalf. 

The  papers,  throughout  the  whole  Archivo,  are  capitally 
arranged  and  kept, — the  most  precious,  in  queer  old  areas  or 
chests,  which  are  deposited  in  safes  or  small  vaulted  chambers, 
for  which  the  solid  walls  affijrd  excellent  convenience.  The 
state  apartment  contains  perhaps  the  most  valuable  documents, 
in  the  shape  of  diplomatic  correspondence.  Some  idea  of  the 
copiousness  of  the  records  here  may  be  formed  from  the  fact, 
that  the  letters  of  Gondomar,  the  Ambassador  of  Spain  at  the 
Court  of  James  the   First  of  England,  fill  eighteen  folio 


SPAIN.  345 

volumes.  Among  the  more  curious  papers  may  be  seen  the 
wills  of  Isabella  the  Catholic  and  her  grandson,  Charles  the 
Fifth  ;  the  autograph  letter  of  John  of  Austria,  written  in  the 
flush  of  the  victory  of  Lepanto,  with  a  plan  of  the  battle, 
drawn  by  himself;  and  the  memoranda  made  by  Philip  the 
Second  for  the  despatch  to  be  written  in  reply.  Philip  was  a 
pragmatical  man  of  business,  and  made  memoranda  and  notes 
of  every  thing,  so  that  almost  all  the  details  of  his  reign  may 
be  traced  here  after  his  own  hand.  In  some  of  the  lower 
courts  of  the  castle  there  were  immense  bales  of  papers  lying, 
which  had  belonged  to  the  archives  of  the  Inquisition  at 
Madrid.  They  had  not  been  long  remitted,  and  there  was  no 
room  for  them.  An  auto  de  fe  would  be  a  characteristic  and 
appropriate  disposition  of  them. 

"  Let  the  dead  past  bury  its  dead." 

In  the  copying-room  of  the  Archivo,  we  had  the  good 
fortune  to  find  Don  Jose  Aparici,  an  exceedingly  interest- 
ing person,  to  whom,  also,  we  were  recommended.  He  was 
a  colonel  of  engineers,  a  man  of  science,  and  an  antiquarian 
and  scholar  of  no  mean  repute,  to  whom  had  been  assigned 
the  duty  of  preparing  materials,  from  the  records,  for  a 
history  of  the  Engineer  Department  of  Spain.  To  this  task 
he  had  voluntarily  added  that  of  searching  the  archives  for 
the  annals  of  the  artillery  corps.  He  showed  us  some  twenty 
or  thirty  volumes  of  copies,  the  fruits  of  six  years'  investiga- 
tions, and  yet  covering  only  the  history  of  the  sixteenth  and 
a  part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  He  had  searched,  as  far 
as  he  had  gone,  all  the  papers  in  the  archives  of  the  War 
Department,  and  contemplated  going  through  all  those  of 
44 


346  SPAIN. 

later  date.  The  number  of  years  which  his  labors  were  still 
likely  to  occupy  was  of  course  uncertain, — not  less  than  six, 
however,  at  the  least.  Taking  us  to  his  house,  he  showed  us 
a  beautiful  collection  of  fac-similes  he  had  made  of  the 
signatures  of  all  the  distinguished  persons — kings,  queens, 
soldiers,  statesmen,  artists,  and  scholars — of  the  fifteenth, 
sixteenth,  and  seventeenth  centuries.  Among  them  we  noticed 
the  name  of  Blasco  de  Garay,  the  engineer,  to  whom  has 
been  attributed,  by  many,  the  first  application  of  steam,  with 
success,  to  the  purposes  of  navigation.  The  reader  who  is 
familiar  with  either  the  history  of  Spain  or  that  of  the 
steam-engine,  will  remember  that  the  experiment  is  said  to 
have  been  triumphantly  made  by  Garay,  in  the  presence  of 
Charles  the  Fifth,  in  the  harbor  of  Barcelona,  and  that  the 
prosecution  of  the  discovery  was  arrested  by  a  court  intrigue. 
The  details  were  given  to  the  world  by  Don  Martin  Navar- 
rete,  in  his  Coleccion  de  Viages,  &c.,  and  were  perhaps  first 
republished  in  the  United  States  in  Mr.  Slidell's  "Year  in 
Spain."  To  our  surprise.  Colonel  Aparici  informed  us,  that 
the  whole  story  was  a  mere  fiction.  The  facts  which  he 
related  in  regard  to  it  bear  so  closely  on  a  question  of  great 
interest,  particularly  in  this  country,  as  to  induce  me  to 
depart  from  my  original  plan,  by  giving  this  account  of  my 
visit  to  Simancas. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  Garay — who  calls  himself,  in  his 
memorials,  "  un  pobre  hidalgo  de  Toledo  "  (a  poor  gentleman 
of  Toledo) — was  a  man  of  a  great  deal  of  mechanical  talent 
and  proficiency  in  the  physical  sciences.  The  records  of 
Simancas  show  many  projects  of  his,  which  indicate  an  active 
and  inventive  mind.     Among  them  is  an  ingenious  plan  for 


SPAIN.  347 

converting  salt  water  into  fresh,  at  sea.  The  invention  which 
has  given  rise  to  his  connection  with  the  history  of  steam 
navigation  was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  the  substitution  of 
wheels  for  oars  in  the  royal  galleys.  He  made  four  failures 
in  the  harbor  of  Malaga.  His  fifth  experiment,  which  was  in 
the  port  of  Barcelona,  was  in  a  measure  successful.  With  two 
wheels,  and  relays  of  six  men  for  each,  he  was  able  to  move  a 
large  galley,  at  the  rate  of  something  more  than  a  league  in 
the  hour.  The  crew  of  such  a  vessel,  when  moved  by  oars, 
was  required  to  number  at  least  a  hundred  and  fifty  men. 
The  Emperor,  who  was  to  have  been  present  at  the  experi- 
ment, was  called  off  suddenly  to  the  Low  Countries,  and 
Garay  lost  the  benefit  of  his  personal  inspection.  When  the 
result,  however,  was  communicated  to  Charles,  he  made  the 
same  objection  which  has  been  urged,  in  our  time,  to  the  use 
of  war-steamers.  He  said  that  a  cannon-ball  might  destroy 
the  machinery,  and  render  the  galley  unmanageable  at  a  single 
blow.  It  was  this  opinion  of  the  Emperor,  and  no  intrigue 
of  the  Treasurer  Ravago,  as  stated  by  Navarrete,  which  put 
an  end  to  Garay's  improvement.  He  died  poor,  and  there  is 
extant,  in  the  Archivo,  a  memorial  of  his  son  after  his  death, 
asking  the  allowance  of  a  hundred  ducats,  for  the  construction 
of  another  machine  according  to  the  father's  plan.  It  was  not 
granted. 

These  facts,  which  conclusively  settle  the  question  of 
Garay's  invention,  were  given  to  me  by  Colonel  Aparici, 
in  detail,  and  with  an  offer  to  refer  to  the  copies  of  the  proper 
documents.  They  are,  of  course,  not  made  public  here  without 
his  permission.  He  told  us  that  he  had  looked  over  every 
paper  in  the  Archivo,  having  any  connection  with  the  projects 


348  SPAIN. 

of  Garay,  and  that  there  is  not,  in  any  memorial,  report,  or 
ojieio  relating  to  the  subject,  a  single  allusion  to  steam,  or  to  a 
caldera  (boiler)  or  any  thing  which,  directly  or  indirectly, 
suggests  the  idea  of  steam  as  a  motive-power.  He  added, 
that  the  facts  which  he  thus  communicated  to  us  were  known 
to  a  great  many  persons  in  Spain,  and  particularly  to  the 
members  of  the  Academy  of  History ;  but  that  there  was  a 
natural  indisposition,  on  every  one's  part,  to  take  the  lead  in 
giving  them  to  the  world.  The  invention  was  too  glorious  a 
one  for  the  national  pride  to  surrender  without  a  struggle. 
The  documents,  however,  he  said,  must  one  day  appear.  He 
himself  had  prepared  some  biographical  memoranda  for  the 
press,  which  he  showed  us,  in  which  the  true  state  of  the  case 
was  lightly  alluded  to,  by  way  of  preparing  the  public  mind. 
To  use  his  own  emphatic  and  manly  language,  "  he  could  not 
think  that  fame  which  was  a  lie,  was  worth  preserving." 

It  is  but  justice  to  the  learned  and  indefatigable  Navarrete 
to  say,  that  there  is  not  the  slightest  imputation  upon  his 
candor  or  research  involved  in  the  fact  of  his  having  published 
a  statement,  which  now  turns  out  to  be  so  far  unfounded.  The 
documents  on  which  he  relied  were  furnished  to  him  from  a 
responsible  source,  and  he  gave  the  results  to  the  press  in  the 
best  faith.  Small  portions  of  the  latter  part  of  Garay's  cor- 
respondence were  all  that  he  received,  and  the  allusions  to 
steam  were  surreptitiously  introduced,  to  impose  on  him.  It 
is  not  known  whether  he  was  ever  informed  of  the  imposition; 
certainly  he  was  not,  if  at  all,  until  after  his  advanced  age  had 
placed  literary  labor  of  any  sort  beyond  his  powers.  The 
memory  of  so  able,  pure,  and  accurate  an  historian  deserves 
this  statement.     In  the  multiplicity  and  scope  of  his  painful 


SPAIN,  349 

and  protracted  labors,  he  could  not  possibly  see  all  things  with 
his  own  eyes. 

After  two  or  three  days  spent  among  the  wonders  of  the 
past  and  the  discomforts  of  the  present,  in  both  of  which 
Burgos  is  80  abounding,  my  companion  was  called  back  to 
official  duties  in  the  capital,  and  I  resumed  my  journey 
towards  the  frontier,  pausing  only  for  a  slight  deflection  into 
Guipuzcoa  (one  of  the  Basque  provinces),  to  visit  the  family 
of  a  valued  friend  whom  I  had  left,  an  exile,  in  America. 
We  diverged  from  the  main  road  at  Vergara, — the  scene  of 
Espartero's  famous  "  Convention  "  with  Maroto, — a  sweet 
little  town  in  a  shady  and  romantic  defile,  by  far  too  beautiful 
to  be  the  witness  of  unnatural  and  cruel  strife.  For  a  league 
and  a  half  our  journey  lay  along  the  margin  of  the  Deva, 
which  is  indeed  a  "  wizard  stream."  The  lofty  hills  between 
which  it  flows  were  cultivated  almost  to  their  summits,  in 
every  variety  and  shade  of  green,  to  which  the  iron-tinted 
soil,  where  freshly  turned,  gave  charming  contrast  and  relief. 
Here  and  there,  whole  hill-sides,  covered  with  the  yellow 
turnip-blossom,  looked,  in  the  sun,  like  fields  of  cloth  of  gold. 
White  caseinas  (farm-houses)  peeped  out  at  every  turn,  from 
groups  of  trees ;  peasants  were  at  work  all  round  us ;  horned 
cattle,  sheep,  and  goats,  in  large  numbers,  were  cropping  the 
luxuriant  grass.  Every  inch  of  ground  was  converted  to  some 
useful  purpose ;  every  handful  of  soil  was  made  to  yield  its 
double-handfuls  of  product.  Defile  came  after  defile,  and 
gorge  after  gorge,  all  beautiful  alike.  Mountain  streams 
rushed  down,  in  foam,  beside  the  road,  and  now  and  then 
leaped  wildly  across  it.  The  Deva  was  full  and  turbid,  from 
recent  rains.     The  gray  stone  of  the  bridges  over  it  was  often 


350  SPAIN. 

covered  with  mosses  and  pendent  vines.  The  walls,  along  its 
banks  and  on  the  upper  side  of  the  road,  were  green  with  ivies 
and  lichens,  and  fringed  with  fern.  Wild-flowers,  blue  and 
yellow,  spangled  the  dark  carpet  on  the  lower  grounds.  Every- 
thing told  of  moisture  and  sunshine. 

After  a  while,  as  we  advanced  in  our  ascent,  the  scene 
developed  itself  into  wider  valleys,  and  the  hills  began  to  wear 
a  savage  look  about  their  summits,  well  suited  to  suggest  the 
presence  of  those  "spirits  and  walking  devils,"  with  which  old 
Burton,  upon  learned  authority,  has  peopled  the  ruggedness  of 
the  Cantabrian  mountains.  We  saw  none  of  these,  however ; 
but  as  we  were  toiling  upwards,  near  a  hill-top,  our  path  was 
suddenly  and  swiftly  crossed  by  a  party  of  Padego  smugglers, 
after  whom  the  custom-house  guards  were  in  full  cry.  They 
were  stout,  athletic  fellows, — so  well  able  to  meet  danger,  that 
it  was  no  wonder  they  despised  it.  Each  of  them  carried  a 
mountaineer's  long  pole,  and  they  rushed  over  the  rocks,  and 
up  through  the  forest,  with  an  agility  that  was  astonishing. 
My  postilion  wisely  turned  his  back,  so  as  not  to  see  the  direc- 
tion which  they  took,  and  when  the  troops  came  up,  he,  of 
course,  could  give  them  no  information.  I  dismounted  and 
walked  a  half-mile  with  the  officer  in  command,  who  was  a 
pleasant  fellow  and  asked  me  no  questions.  He  told  me  that 
a  party  of  his  men  were  behind,  with  the  main  body  of  the 
contrabandistas,  whom  they  had  captured.  I  saw  the  poor 
Pasiegos  pass  along,  afterwards,  two  by  two,  quite  uncon- 
cerned. At  the  next  venta,  the  soldiers  bound  their  hands 
together,  apparently  with  great  reluctance  ;  but  the  captives 
smoked  their  cigars  very  contentedly  during  the  process. 
They  were  superb  peasants,  of  the  manliest  mould,  which  was 


SPAIN.  351 

well  set  off  by  the  tight,  neat  costume  of  their  province.  It 
was  sad  to  reflect  tliat  a  system  of  pernicious  and  unreasonable 
laws  should  tempt  such  stalwart  fellows  from  honest  labor,  to 
waste  tlieir  manhood  in  the  squalid  toil  of  the  chain-gangs. 

Ascent  and  descent,  equally  tedious  but  for  the  beauty  of 
the  scenery  and  the  excellence  of  the  road,  carried  us,  at  last, 
into  the  valley  of  Loyola,  where,  on  the  margin  of  a  copious 
and  rapid  stream,  bearing  the  musical  name  Urola,  lay  tiie 
delightful  village  of  Azpeitia,  the  place  of  my  destination. 
The  town  is  famous  as  the  birthplace  of  the  great  founder  of 
the  Society  of  Jesus,  who,  in  the  various  colors  of  saint  and 
sage,  bigot  and  madman, — according  to  the  predilection,  or 
judgment,  or  prejudice  of  the  painter, — has  filled  so  many 
pages  of  the  world's  most  serious  history.  The  house  in 
which  he  was  born,  with  the  arms  of  his  family — two  wolves, 
at  a  pot  suspended  by  a  chain — rudely  sculptured  over  the 
entrance,  is  still  in  perfect  preservation,  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  town.  It  is  now  incorporated  into  the  buildings  of 
the  immense  Jesuit  College,  whose  founders  once  owned  the 
wide  and  pleasant  huerta,  still  green  and  plentiful  about  it. 
The  church  of  the  college  is  a  superb  rotonde,  with  a  dome 
and  lantern  in  fine  taste, — the  most  remarkable  building  of 
its  style  in  Spain.  It  is  constructed  of  hard  black  jasper, 
which  takes  an  exquisite  polish.  The  front  and  the  grand 
Corinthian  portico  look  as  if  they  were  made  of  the  costliest 
Egyptian  marble.  The  good  priest,  who  was  our  guide, 
showed  me  a  magnificent  block,  in  which  the  town,  the  smil- 
ing valley,  and  the  hills  about  it,  were  reflected,  as  in  a  per- 
fect mirror.  The  high  altar  and  many  parts  of  the  interior 
of  the  edifice  are  remarkable  for  the  variety  and  great  beauty 


352  SPAIN. 

of  the  marbles, — all  of  which  are  Spanish ;  some  of  them 
from  the  Granadian  mountains,  but  the  most  from  those  of 
Biscay.  Some  of  the  mosaics  and  inlaid  work  can  with 
difficulty  be  surpassed.  The  church  was  deserted,  being 
under  the  charge,  for  preservation  only,  of  a  solitary  clergy- 
man, once  the  prior  of  a  convent  in  Azpeitia.  The  college 
was  the  property  of  the  province,  and  then  only  used  as  the 
depository  of  the  archives  of  Guipuzcoa.  The  whole  estab- 
lishment has  since  been  restored  to  the  Jesuit  fathers. 

But  it  was  not  to  enjoy  the  beauties  of  architecture,  art,  or 
scenery,  that  the  reader  was  invited  to  join  me  in  this  little 
pilgrimage.  It  was  that  he  might  observe  the  totally  different 
characteristics  of  the  Basque  provinces,  as  compared  with  the 
rest  of  the  kingdom,  and  attach  the  proper  consideration  to 
those  accounts  which  deal  with  Spain  as  homogeneous  in  its 
physical,  moral,  industrial,  and  agricultural  developments, — a 
nation  to  be  sketched  in  a  paragraph,  with  a  flourish  of  the 
pen.  The  Basque  territory  is  as  unlike  Castille,  La  Mancha, 
or  Andalucia,  as  nature  and  man  can  make  it.  Instead  of 
dehesas  and  despoblados, — wastes  and  depopulated  places, — 
wide  fields,  without  fences  or  hedges, — scattered  and  poor 
villages, — woodless  plains  or  hill-sides, — it  has  small  farms, 
well  wooded  and  inclosed,  with  bright  cottages,  and  cheerful 
little  fields,  not  a  foot  of  which,  as  I  have  said,  but  pays  its 
contribution  to  the  farmer.  Where  the  plough  cannot  pass, 
the  hoe  or  the  hand  does  its  work.  Between  the  rocks,  and 
along  the  precipices,  every  slip  of  soil  is  tilled.  The  very 
difficulties  of  the  location  seem  to  stimulate  the  energy  of  the 
laborer.  Plantations  of  beech  and  chesnut  reward  his  toil 
with   timber   and  fruit.     Crops   of  Indian  corn  spring  up 


SPAIN.  353 

around  him,  with  a  luxuriance  whicli  might  shame  more 
fertile  regions.  On  the  whole,  I  do  not  remember  to  have 
seen  a  country  more  resembling  those  delightful  tracts,  among 
the  Apennines,  which  M.  de  Sismondi  describes  with  such 
elegance  and  just'  enthusiasm,  in  his  Essays  on  Political 
Economy. 

Indeed,  as  far  as  I  was  able  to  ascertain  during  my  brief 
visit,  the  lands  are  held,  in  some  sort,  upon  the  principle  of 
the  metairie  which  Sismondi  commends  so  much  in  Tuscany. 
The  leases,  for  the  most  part,  are  very  long,  descending  often 
from  father  to  son  among  the  tenantry,  as  the  freehold  passes 
in  the  family  of  the  landlord.  A  small  pecuniary  rent  is  paid, 
nominally  for  the  house,  and  for  the  land  a  reasonable  portion 
of  the  crops  is  given.  Attached  to  each  caseria  there  is 
generally  a  tract  of  woodland,  often  at  a  considerable  distance, 
upon  the  mountain ;  but  sometimes  only  a  right  is  reserved 
to  cut  wood  for  farming  purposes  and  fuel.  The  relations  of 
landlord  and  tenant  are  so  well  understood,  and  in  general  so 
satisfactory,  that  difficulties  but  seldom  occur ;  the  tenant,  on 
the  one  hand,  being  beyond  the  risk  of  exorbitant  exactions, 
and  the  landlord,  on  the  other,  quite  as  secure  in  the  receipt 
of  his  moderate  but  sufficient  income.  What  gives  to  the 
system  its  chief  merit  is  the  feature  which  renders  it  so 
attractive  to  M.  de  Sismondi, — the  guaranty  of  the  future 
which  it  affi3rds  the  laborer.  He  has  something  before  him. 
He  does  not  toil  for  present  support  only,  preparing  the  land 
for  a  stranger  who  may  at  any  moment  be  put  in  his  place. 
Every  foot  that  he  redeems  from  barrenness  is  so  much  added 
to  his  own  stock  and  the  heritage  of  his  children.  He  labors, 
therefore,  as  if  the  land  were  his  own,  and  the  spirit  with 
45 


354  SPAIN. 

which  he  applies  his  hand  to  the  work  is  as  fruitful  of  indepen- 
dence and  content  to  him,  as  of  profit  to  the  owner  of  the 
soil.  He  gathers  his  humble  comforts  about  him  with  a  sense 
of  security  and  permanence.  His  condition  is  not  that  of  a 
mere  agricultural  proletary.  It  is  blended  with  the  enjoy- 
ments and  surrounded  by  the  blessings  of  rural  competency 
and  a  rural  home. 

As  a  consequence  of  this  peculiar  system,  and  of  their 
provincial  traits  of  frugality  and  industry,  the  Basques,  though 
an  extremely  crowded  population,  are  for  the  most  part  well 
fed,  well  clad,  and  physically  comfortable.  There  is  very  little 
mendicancy  or  extreme  poverty  among  them.  By  nature,  they 
are  manly,  frank,  and  hardy,  like  mountaineers  in  general  ; 
and  the  freedom  of  their  political  charters  has  developed  these 
qualities  into  a  provincial  character  of  the  sturdiest  independ- 
ence. They  are  bold,  active,  and  enterprising ;  remarkable 
throughout  the  kingdom  for  their  trustworthiness  and  stern 
integrity.  On  the  other  hand,  their  good  qualities  often  run 
into  extremes,  and  they  are  sometimes  obstinate,  abrupt,  close- 
fisted,  and  perverse.  "  Larga  y  angosta,  corao  alma  de  Viz- 
caino," ("  Long  and  narrow,  like  the  soul  of  a  Biscayan,")  is 
the  proverb  in  which  their  compatriots  have  caricatured  their 
peculiarities.  As  pretendientes,  they  are  famous.  Looking 
over  the  Madrid  blue-book,  it  will  be  seen,  by  their  unequivo- 
cable  surnames,  that  they  absorb  a  conspicuous  portion  of  the 
public  patronage ;  but  all  who  are  familiar  with  the  conduct 
of  Spanish  affairs  will  do  them  the  justice  to  admire  the 
fidelity  and  ability  with  which  they  respond  to  the  public 
confidence.  Upon  one  point  they  have  a  provincial  weakness; 
it  is  for  the  antiquity  of  their  race  and  language.     The  latter, 


SPAIN.  355 

they  gravely  contend,  was  the  one  spoken  in  Paradise.  If  it 
was,  Schlegel  has  omitted  the  strongest  argument  in  favor  of 
the  improvement  of  tlie  human  species. 

When  I  left  Azpeitia,  and  the  cordial  hospitality  which  had 
welcomed  me,  and  which  gave  me  such  regret  at  parting,  I 
turned  my  face  across  the  mountains  towards  the  flourishing 
town  of  Tolosa,  which  was  reached  in  a  pleasant  afternoon's 
journey.  The  next  morning  I  mounted  the  diligence  for  the 
North.     It  was  Sunday, — a  soft  and  genial  day, 

"  So  calm,  so  pure,  so  bright," 

that  George  Herbert  might  well  have  called  it  "  the  bridal  of 
the  earth  and  sky," — or  even  their  courtship,  which  is  a 
brighter  thing.  The  roads  and  the  village  streets  were  lined 
with  cheerful  peasants,  in  holiday  costume,  and  children 
played  happily  by  the  way-sides,  in  troops  that  would  have 
saddened  a  Malthusian.  At  last,  the  blue  Atlantic  hove  in 
sight,  suggesting  thoughts  of  the  far  land  beyond  it ;  then 
came  the  frontier, — the  custom-houses, — France, — evening, — 
and  Bayonne. 

"  C'est  bong,  ga  !  "  said  a  fat  Gascon  marnhand  de  chevaux, 
who  rode  with  us,  next  day,  towards  Bordeaux.  We  were 
passing  through  one  of  those  stiff  and  formal  avenues,  which 
make  the  landscapes  so  often,  in  the  South  of  France,  resemble 
the  first  plates  in  Euclid's  Elements.  "  C^est  bong,  ga  !  c^est 
ir^  pingtoresque  !  "  repeated  the  Gascon,  leaning  heavily  upon 
me  and  puffing  his  pipe  in  my  face.  Neither  the  sentiment 
itself,  nor  the  mode  of  its  delivery,  was  calculated  to  enforce 
conviction,  in  one  who  despised  both  tobacco  and  straight 
lines ;  but  it  awakened  me  to  the  first  full  consciousness  that 
I  was  out  of  Spain,  and  I  date  my  exodus  accordingly. 


XXX. 

Conclusion. — Political,  Prospects  of  Spain. — Effects  of  Peace. — 
EspARTERO. — The  Moderados. — The  Queen  Mother. — The  Nobil- 
ity.— Monarchy. — Republicanism. — Independence  of  National 
Character  and  Manners. — Loyalty. — Tendency  to  Federalism. 
— Reasons  therefor,  and  Probability  of  a  Confederation. — Its 
Benefits. — The  Basque  Fueros. — Effect  of  Internal  Improve- 
ments   AND    DE\rELOPMENT    OF    INDUSTRIAL    RESOURCES. — EmPLEO- 

MANiA. — Reasons  for  American  Sympathy  with  Spain. — Justice 

DUE  HER. 

HAVING,  to  the  best  of  my  ability  and  information, 
placed  it  fairly  within  the  power  of  the  reader  to 
draw  conclusions  for  himself,  in  regard  to  the  political  future 
of  Spain,  I  have  little  to  add  but  deductions  of  my  own. 
There  are  impressions,  sometimes  fixed  upon  the  mind,  when 
in  the  centre  and  bustle  of  affairs,  which  have  the  force  of 
convictions,  though  one  can  scarce  tell  why.  That  such  may 
have  blended  themselves,  in  the  present  case,  with  opinions 
which  I  can  more  readily  trace  and  perhaps  defend  more 
satisfactorily  to  others,  is  altogether  probable.  The  conclusions 
at  which  I  have  arrived  would  not  seem  to  me  less  likely  to  be 
accurate,  on  that  account ;  but  it  would  be  presumptuous  to 
expect  that  the  reader  should  be  willing  to  take  them  equally 
upon  trast. 
356 


SPAIN.  357 

The  most  obvious  fact  which  the  preceding  chapters  disclose, 
and  a  fact  not  to  be  gainsaid,  is  the  revival  of  the  prosperity  of 
Spain  within  the  last  few  years.  The  improvement  may  l)e 
less  thorough,  and  less  worthy  of  the  epoch,  than  it  should  be. 
Its  course  may  have  been  misdirected  and  interrupted.  It 
may  yet  be  diverted,  nay,  occasionally  arrested  altogether. 
Nevertheless  it  exists.  It  has  been  the  result  of  causes,  still 
operative,  which  were  deliberately  set  in  motion  to  produce  it; 
of  principles,  which  it  was  dangerous  to  broach,  and  which  it 
has  cost  time  and  labor,  agitation  and  blood,  to  establish.  It 
has  continued  to  go  on,  until  its  march,  rapid  or  retarded,  has 
grown  into  a  custom, — a  thing  of  course.  It  has  wrought 
changes  which  it  is  now  too  late  to  undo,  and  has  established 
reforms  from  which  a  relapse  is  now  impossible,  because  the 
abuses  reformed  have  been  cut  up  at  the  roots.  It  has  vitality, 
therefore,  and  strength,  and  foothold,  and  it  must  advance. 

Nor  are  the  causes  of  this  revolution  less  obvious  than  its 
existence.  Liberal  institutions  and  peace  have  been  the  im- 
mediate and  main  agents  of  good.  Without  peace,  liberal 
institutions  would  have  availed  but  little;  indeed,  until  the 
civil  war  was  ended,  their  practical  results  were  trifling,  in 
comparison.  With  peace,  a  far  less  rational  system  than  the 
worst  phase  of  that  which  has  prevailed  would  have  yielded, 
by  degrees,  to  popular  development ;  indeed,  the  sternest 
despotism  could  hardly,  at  this  epoch,  have  restrained  it 
altogether.  War  has  been,  beyond  all  question,  the  bane  of 
Spanish  freedom  and  prosperity,  as  far  back  as  history  records. 
Foreign  or  domestic,  it  has  been  the  perpetual  background  of 
the  picture.  To  this  eternal  strife,  more  than  to  despotism  in 
all  its  varieties  and  combinations,  the  decay  of  the  nation  is 


358  SPAIN. 

attributable ;  for  it  was  this,  in  fact,  which  gave  to  despotism 
its  opportunities,  its  pretexts,  and  its  arms.  Rest,  therefore, 
more  than  all  things  else,  had  grown  absolutely  indispensable 
to  moral  and  political  regeneration, — even  the  most  partial. 
Tardy  as  may  have  seemed  to  us  the  steps  of  the  recent  revo- 
lution we  have  traced,  they  would  have  been  incomparably 
more  tedious  and  unsteady,  but  for  the  peaceful  though 
lethargic  years  preceding  the  death  of  Ferdinand  the  Seventh. 
It  was  then  only  that  the  scattered  elements  of  change  took 
form  and  energy,  and  were  combined. 

In  view  of  this  necessity,  this  paramount  necessity,  of 
repose  to  the  nation,  I  have  commended,  in  their  turn,  the 
"Convention"  of  Espartero  with  Maroto,  and  the  subsequent 
policy  of  the  Moderado  party.  The  one  produced  peace, — 
the  other  has  undoubtedly  preserved  it.  In  considering  the 
wisdom  and  effect  of  public  measures,  the  motives  and  the 
processes  which  led  to  them  may  well  be  left  out  of  the 
account.  It  may  be  true  that  Espartero  bribed  Maroto, — as 
his  enemies  have  said, — because  he  could  not  overcome  the 
Carlists  in  fair  battle.  If  so,  the  money  was  well  laid  out, 
notwithstanding.  Narvaez  and  his  compeers  and  successors 
may  have  strengthened  the  arm  of  government,  not  merely  to 
save  the  nation  from  anarchy  and  its  results,  but  because  it 
was  their  own  arm,  and  its  strength  was  their  strength.  Yet 
if  the  salvation  of  the  country  was  in  fact  the  consequence, — 
if  faction  and  discord  were  thereby  kept  down, — if  leisure  and 
opportunity  were  given  and  secured  for  industry  and  enter- 
prise, and  the  prosperity  and  happiness  that  wait  upon  them, 
— what  matters  it  that  a  constitutional  provision,  here  and 
there,  was,  for  the  moment,  ambitiously  broken  ?   Prosperous 


SPAIN.  359 

nations — confirmed  in  their  prosperity — can  afford  to  be 
technical,  and  may  stickle  even  for  abstractions ;  a  prostrate 
land  must  have  realities,  not  words.  There  are  situations  in 
which  one  material  blessing  may  be  worth  a  hundred  of  the 
holiest  forms.  Better,  a  thousand  fold,  to  Spain,  a  brief,  nay, 
a  usurped  dictatorship,  with  peace,  than  the  nominal  triumph 
of  liberalism,  with  the  certainty  of  reaction  and  desolation. 

Those  who  see  force  in  these  suggestions  will  not  distrust 
the  reality  of  the  good  which  has  already  been  achieved  in 
Spain,  nor  despair  of  the  future,  because  of  occasional  arbitrary 
passages,  and  suspensions  or  infractions  of  the  fundamental 
law.  A  moment's  comparison  of  what  is  now  with  what  but 
recently  was,  and  a  consideration  of  the  obstacles  which  have 
been  overcome,  and  the  limited  means  by  which  the  triumph 
has  been  won,  will  suffice  to  remove  all  doubts  in  regard  to 
the  present,  and  to  justify  the  happiest  augury.  But  the 
future  has  its  own  elements  of  promise,  besides.  When  it  is 
remembered  that  almost  every  man  of  eminence,  in  the  ruling 
party  and  the  opposition,  has  risen  from  the  people,  and  owes 
his  elevation,  not  to  royal  favor,  but  to  the  popular  institutions 
which  surround  the  throne,  it  is  scarce  possible  to  conceive 
an  act  of  such  wholesale  suicide,  as  a  serious  attempt  to  re- 
establish an  absolute  government.  The  Queen,  as  has  been 
said,  is  without  ambition,  or  dangerous  qualities  of  any  sort. 
The  Queen  Mother,  though,  on  the  contrary,  as  scheming  and 
ambitious  as  the  blood  of  Naples  can  make  her,  yet,  in  spite 
of  her  large  wealth,  preeminent  position,  and  talent  for  intrigue 
has  never  been  able  to  secure  a  hold  upon  the  popular  regard. 
At  this  moment,  though  perhaps  the  most  influential,  she  is 
probably  the  best  abused  and  most  thoroughly  detested  person 


360  SPAIN. 

in  Spain.  She  can  act  only  through  her  creatures,  and  they 
have  interests  of  their  own,  which  forbid  their  serving  her 
beyond  a  certain  point.  As  a  class,  the  nobles  have  no 
political  influence  whatever ;  and  as  individuals,  they  are, 
almost  universally,  without  the  talents  which  could  make 
them  dreaded  or  useful. 

But  even  if  politicians  and  rulers  were  willing  to  break 
down  the  constitutional  system,  the  first  overt  act  would 
arouse  the  people  to  almost  unanimous  resistance.  The  lotos 
of  freedom  has  been  tasted,  and  it  cannot  readily  be  stricken 
from  their  lips.  So  long  as  the  more  important  guaranties 
are  not  altogether  violated, — so  long  as  the  government 
substantially  dedicates  itself  to  the  public  good,  by  originating 
and  fostering  schemes  of  public  usefulness, — it  may  take 
almost  any  liberties  with  forms  and  non-essentials.  Much 
further  it  will  not  be  permitted  to  go,  and  every  day 
diminishes  the  facility  with  which  it  may  go  even  thus  far. 
Every  work  of  internal  improvement  which  brings  men 
closer  together,  enabling  them  to  compare  opinions  with 
readiness,  and  concentrate  strength  for  their  maintenance; 
every  new  interest  that  is  built  up ;  every  heavy  and  perma- 
nent investment  of  capital  or  industry ;  every  movement  that 
develops  and  diffuses  the  public  intelligence  and  energy, — is 
a  bulwark,  more  or  less  formidable,  against  reaction.  Nay, 
every  circumstance  that  makes  the  public  wiser,  richer,  or 
better,  must  shorten  the  career  of  arbitrary  rule.  The  com- 
pulsion, which  was  and  still  is  a  neccessary  evil,  for  the 
preservation  of  peace,  must  be  withdrawn,  when  peace 
becomes  an  instinct  as  well  as  a  necessity.  The  existence  of 
a  stringent  system  will  no  longer  be  acquiesced  in,  when  the 


SPAIN.  361 

people  shall  have  grown  less  in  need  of  government  and 
better  able  to  direct  it  for  themselves.  Thus,  in  their  season, 
the  very  interests  which  shall  be  consolidated  and  made 
vigorous  by  forced  tranquillity  will  rise,  themselves,  into  the 
mastery.  The  stream  of  power,  as  it  rolls  peacefully  along, 
is  daily  strengthening  the  banks,  which  every  day,  though 
imperceptibly,  encroach  on  it.  Sir  James  Mackintosh,  in  his 
comment  on  Burke's  splendid  apostrophe  to  Chivalry,  has 
skilfully  depicted  a  similar  process  and  result,  in  the  triumph 
of  commerce  and  intelligence  over  the  feudal  and  chivalrous 
institutions  which  fostered  them  into  strength  and  inde- 
pendence. Hero  points  the  same  moral,  in  telling  of  the 
"  pleached  bower," 

"Where  honeysuckles,  ripened  by  the  sun, 
Forbid  the  sun  to  enter, — like  favorites. 
Made  proud  by  princes,  that  advance  their  pride 
Against  that  power  that  bred  it ! " 

While,  therefore,  I  should  hardly  be  surprised  at  an 
attempt  to  assimilate  the  constitution  of  Spain,  in  some  sort, 
to  the  simpler  model  of  the  "  Prince-Presidency,"  I  should 
regard  its  temporary  success  as  an  evil  by  no  means  without 
good.  An  enlightened  despotism  could  not  easily  avoid  lay- 
ing, in  the  national  prosperity,  a  solid  foundation  for  the  final 
establishment  of  a  permanent  free  system. 

Of  the  shape  which  the  fundamental  institutions  of  Spain 
will  ultimately  take,  there  is,  in  one  particular,  but  little  room 
for  question.  The  traditions,  and  even  the  prejudices,  of  the 
people  are  monarchical  altogether.  In  practice  and  from 
conviction,  they  regard  loyalty  as  a  virtue  and  a  sacred  duty. 
46 


362  SPAIN. 

There  are  really,  in  Spain,  no  republicans  or  democrats  ;  or, 
at  all  events,  no  persons  seriously  contemplating  the  establish- 
ment of  a  republic  or  a  democracy.     The  sense  of  personal 
independence  is  as  high  and  scrupulous  there,  as  it  can  be 
anywhere, — not  excepting  our  own  country.     And  there  is  a 
republican  element,  too,  in  the  character  and  manners  of  the 
Spaniards,  which  I  believe  exists  nowhere  else,  at  the  degree 
in  which  they  possess  it.     Your  American  citizen  will  concede 
to  you,  if  you  ask  him  to  do  so,  that  other  people  are  as  good 
as  he.     But  this  is  not  the  principle  which  he  sets  chiefly 
forth,  in  his  life  and  conversation.     It  is  the  reverse  of  the 
medal, — it  is  the  conviction,  the  practical  demonstration,  that 
he  is  as  good  as  other  people.     He  will  not  deny — he  dares  not 
deny — the  equality  of  others  with  himself;  but  he  goes  about 
always  asserting  his  equality  with  others.     The  Spaniard,  on 
the  contrary,  has  a  sense  of  equality,  which  blesses  him  who 
gives  as  well  as  him  who  takes.     If  he  requires  the  concession 
from  others,  he  demands  it,  chiefly  and  emphatically,  through 
the  concessions  which  he  makes  to  them.     There  is  so  much 
self-respect  involved  in  his  respect  to  others,  and  in  his  mani- 
festation of  it,  that  reciprocity  is  unavoidable.     To  this,  and 
this  mainly,  is  attributable  the  high,  courteous  bearing,  which 
is  conspicuous  in  all  the  people,  and  which  renders  the  personal 
intercourse  of  the  respective  classes  and  conditions  less  marked 
by  strong  and  invidious  distinctions,  than  in  any  other  nation 
with  whose  manners  and  customs  I  am  familiar.     It  is  this, 
perhaps,  more  than  any  other  circumstance,  which  has  tem- 
pered and    made  sufierable  the  oppression  of  unequal  and 
despotic  institutions, — illustrating  "the  advantage  to  which," 
in  the  words  of  a  philosophic  writer,  "  the  manners  of  a 


iiPAIN.  <         363 

people  may  turn  the  most  unfavorable  position  and  the  worst 
laws." 

But  with  this  eminently  republican  temper,  the  continued 
loyalty  of  the  Spaniards  to  their  monarch  is  perfectly  com- 
patible. There  is  no  servility  in  it.  It  is  homage  paid  to  the 
individual,  as  identified  with  an  institution.  The  prince  is 
the  embodiment  of  their  nationality, — the  representative  of 
past  glory  and  present  unity.  They  rally  round  the  throne, 
in  spite  of  the  frailties  or  crimes  of  him  who  fills  it.  They 
are  no  worshippers  of  Ferdinand  or  Isabella, — no  martyrs 
for  Carlos, — but  liegemen  to  the  person  whom  they  believe 
to  be  the  rightful  monarch  of  the  Spains.  It  is  a  matter 
of  great  uncertainty,  therefore, — and  perhaps  of  great  in- 
diflference,  as  aifecting  the  question  of  freedom, — whether 
the  most  perfect  system  of  liberal  institutions  which  the 
Spaniards  may  adopt  will  be  without  some  modification  of 
the  monarchical  feature. 

The  political  horoscope,  in  other  respects,  is  not  so  easy  to 
cast.  The  general,  though  perhaps  the  remote  tendency,  is,  I 
think,  towards  a  federative  monarchy.  The  relations  between 
Spain  and  Portugal,  and  the  feasibility  of  uniting  the  whole 
Peninsula  as  one  nation,  were  the  subjects  of  frequent  and 
practical  discussion,  public  and  private,  when  I  was  in  Madrid, 
and  have  more  than  once  furnished  topics  of  serious  diplo- 
matical  consideration.  It  seems  difficult,  indeed,  to  under- 
stand how  such  a  measure  as  a  Peninsular  Union,  so  forcibly 
suggested  by  so  many  natural  circumstances,  has  been  so  long 
deferred,  or  can  continue  to  be  postponed,  now  that  the  public 
good  has  become  so  controlling  an  element  in  national  relations. 
The  doctrine  of  public  policy  and  morals,  called  "  geographical 


364  SPAIN. 

necessity,"  has  obviously  not  yet  been  expounded  in  Europe, 
with  the  same  efficacy  as  among  ourselves. 

But,  leaving  Portugal  out  of  the  question,  the  Spanish 
kingdom  has  more  of  the  federal  elements  than  any  nation 
that  I  know  of  in  Europe.  The  provinces,  mostly  segregated 
from  each  other  by  natural  barriers,  are  quite  as  much  so  by 
their  peculiar  and  respective  characters,  customs,  and  laws. 
The  sturdy  Biscayan,  the  Switzer  of  the  Peninsula,  is  as 
different,  in  his  personal  and  provincial  characteristics,  from 
the  stolid  and  uncouth  Galician, — the  industrious,  but  choleric 
and  selfish  Catalan, — the  witty,  flippant,  gallant,  bull-destroy- 
ing Andalusian, — as  is  the  burgher  of  Amsterdam  from  the 
sun-loving  Neapolitan.  And  so  of  the  other  provinces. 
Their  forms,  prescriptions,  ideas,  are  all  different.  Their 
interests  are  different, — frequently  conflicting.  Their  costumes 
and  dialects  are  totally  distinct.  The  soil  they  till,  the  pro- 
ducts they  consume,  are  as  the  soil  and  products  of  remote 
nations.  Some  of  them  are  mountaineers, — some  dwellers 
upon  boundless  plains, — some  fishermen,  or  sailors,  or  shep- 
herds, or  manufacturers,  or  cultivators  of  the  deep  green  vegas 
that  beautify  the  borders  of  the  sea.  Yet,  over  all,  and 
binding  them  and  all  their  diversities  together,  is  the  iron 
band  of  a  beloved  and  time-honored  nationality.  Catalonians, 
Biscayans,  Asturians,  Castilians, — they  are  all  Spaniards.  It 
was  this  national  sentiment  which  animated  and  sustained  the 
heroism  of  their  resistance  to  Napoleon,  notwithstanding  the 
local  institutions,  jealousies,  and  rivalries  which  deprived  it  of 
unity  and  concentration. 

Nor  is  the  present  administrative  system  of  Spain  otherwise 
than  favorable  to  the  formation  of  federal  habits  and  ideas. 


SPAIN.  365 

The  general  government,  as  has  been  seen,  presides  directly 
over  the  foreign  relations  of  the  country,  and  has  immediate 
control  of  all  general  and  national  affairs.  Each  province, 
however,  has  its  own  civil  governor,  appointed  by  the  crown  ; 
representing,  within  his  sphere,  the  Minister  of  Gobe7'nacio7i 
(the  Interior),  and  in  effect  the  executive  ruler  of  the  province. 
For  purposes  of  consultation,  he  has  his  Provincial  Council, 
of  three  or  five  persons,  likewise  nominated  by  tiie  Queen. 
The  Provincial  Deputation,  an  elective  body,  to  which  I  have 
already  referred,  has  duties  and  powers  of  a  comprehensive 
and  more  active  nature, — watching  over  the  welfare,  regulating 
the  contributions,  and  developing  the  resources  of  the  province. 
Each  province,  therefore, — thus  taking  care,  in  form  at  least, 
of  its  own  interests,  and  in  a  measure  controlling  them, — 
concerned  in  the  assessment  and  levy  of  its  domestic  taxes, — 
having  its  wants  and  wishes  represented  by  its  own  officers, 
near  the  central  authority, — is  in  many  respects  a  separate, 
though  a  dependent  state.  Then,  too,  there  is  the  municipal 
feature,  the  independent  action  of  the  ayimtamiento  within  its 
allotted  sphere, — as  distinct  as  that  of  the  provincial  authori- 
ties within  their  jurisdiction.  In  these  particulars  there  is  great 
similarity  to  the  political  condition  of  the  American  Colonies 
prior  to  the  Revolution.  The  ingredients — the  rudiraental 
and  elementary  ideas — of  a  confederacy  are  all  there,  as  devel- 
oped in  the  beautiful  analysis  of  the  subject  made  by  M.  de 
Tocqueville,  in  his  treatise  on  Democracy  in  America. 

The  very  existence  of  these  various  elements — so  suggestive 
of  confederation,  and  so  likely  to  produce  i)rosperity  under  and 
through  it — must  render  it  nearly  impossible  to  uphold  the' 
present  centralised  and  centralising  system,  for  any  length  of 


366  SPAIN. 

time,  after  the  causes  of  improvement,  which  are  now  at  work, 
shall  have  made  it  as  easy  to  carry  out,  as  it  now  is  to  discover, 
what  the  national  prosperity  demands.     The  very  distinction 
in  provincial  characteristics — which  would  be  the  main  stay 
of  a  federal  union,  constituted  to  adopt  and  perpetuate  it,  as 
far  as  useful — is  productive  only  of  discord  and  discontent, 
where  provincial  wants  and  interests  are  merged,  as  now,  in  an 
absorbing  consolidation.    Centralisation — which,  modified  by 
federal   institutions,  would   be  a  blessing  to  every  part,  and 
communicate  to  each  the  vigor  of  the  whole — now  crushes,  of 
necessity,  what  it  attempts,  unnaturally,  to  amalgamate.     Two 
things,  each,  in  its  sphere,  a  good,  are  thus  linked  together  for 
evil.      Two    healthful    ingredients    are    combined,    by    bad 
chemistry,  into  a  poison.     This  cannot  last,  when  those  who 
suffer  from  it  grow  able  to  reform  it.     There  can  be  but  one 
true  policy  for  a  people  in  such  a  condition,  and  that  is,  to 
give  to  the  national  and  the  provincial  element,  each,  its  ap- 
propriate sphere, — to  surround  the  throne,  which  shall  repre- 
sent the  nation,  with  the  guaranties  which  shall  be  drawn  from 
prosperous  and  independent  states,  confederated  to  form  the 
one  and  to  defend  the  other.     I  am  aware  that  a  writer  ^  — 
whose  opinions  on  such  subjects  are  more  justly  entitled  to  be 
held  oracular,  than  those  of  any  other  reasoner  upon  govern- 
ment— has  pronounced  a  confederation,  "  of  all  systems,  the 
most  complicated,  the  most  difficult :  that  which  demands  the 
greatest  development  in  the  intellect   of  men,  the   greatest 
empire   of    general    interests    over    particular    interests,    of 
general  ideas  over   local   prejudices,  of  public   reason   over 
individual  passions."     Yet  the  requirements  of  a  confederacy 

'  M.  Guizot. 


SPAIN.  367 

— growing  up  of  itself,  and  not  created  by  a  constituent 
assembly, — suggested  by  geographical  and  natural  causes,  and 

• 

arising  spontaneously  from  national  circumstances,  in  their 
ordinary  germination  and  development — would  hardly  be  so 
multiform  and  absolute.  The  causes  which  produced,  would 
in  such  case  preserve.  It  may  require  art  and  constant  outlay 
to  keep  the  walls  of  the  Escorial  as  they  came  from  the  hands 
of  the  builder ;  but  the  mountain  parapets,  behind  it,  have 
become  a  changeless  part  of  the  nature  which  formed  them. 

Taking  it  for  granted  that  a  future  confederacy  is  possible 
in  Spain,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  the  wealth  and 
power  she  would  draw  from  it  would  make  Portugal  a  suitor 
for  its  privileges.  If  not,  the  wealth  might  buy  the  freedom 
of  the  great  rivers  which  pass  through  Portugal  to  the  Atlan- 
tic,— or  the  power  might  give  to  Spain  attractive  views  of 
"  annexation,"  which  its  present  uses  will  scarcely  suggest  to 
her.  So  seriously  were  plans  of  the  sort  which  I  have  indi- 
cated broached  in  the  political  circles  of  Madrid,  that  there 
were  many  who  believed  the  formation  of  a  confederacy  would 
be  the  basis  of  the  next  general  movement  of  the  people.  The 
increasing  tendency  toward  centralisation  seemed  to  be  re- 
garded, in  all  quarters  (except  among  the  rulers  and  their 
immediate  followers),  as  the  leading  evil  of  the  times.  Dur- 
ing the  administration  of  Espartero,  the  fueros,  or  provincial 
privileges  of  the  Basque  provinces,  were  to  a  great  extent 
suppressed.  As  a  piece  of  national  legislation,  this  was  alto- 
gether wise, — though  the /h^'os,  in  themselves,  were,  many  of 
them,  relics  of  the  best  days  of  early  freedom.  With  the 
existence  of  a  federation  they  would  have  been  eminently 
compatible;  but  the  obstacles  were  infinite  which  they  raised 


368  SPAIN. 

in  the  legitimate  path  of  the  existing  system,  and  they  were 
the  source  of  great  discontent  and  much  ill  blood  among  the 
other  provinces,  which  could  see  no  reason  why  the  Basques 
should  be  thus  preferred.  The  3£oderados  have  carried  out 
this  portion  of  Espartero's  policy,  in  the  main,  and  the 
inhabitants  of  the  "Free  Provinces,"  when  1  went  among 
them,  were  in  no  better  predicament  than  the  rest  of  their 
countrymen.  As  a  sort  of  prelude  to  a  federal  movement, — 
a  preparation  of  the  public  mind  for  it, — there  was  a  project, 
when  I  was  in  Madrid,  to  restore  to  the  Basques  the  most 
important  of  their  fueros,  and  thus  lead  the  people  of  the 
other  provinces  to  insist  on  similar  concessions.  The  idea 
was  not  a  bad  one ;  but  I  have  seen  no  evidence  of  its  having 
been  carried  out.  It  was  but  a  means,  however,  and  the  end 
may  be  attained  as  readily  in  other  ways. 

Whatever  may  be  the  ultimate  political  destiny  of  Spain, 
it  is  certain  that  the  development  of  her  resources,  and 
especially  the  completion  of  her  great  works  of  internal 
improvement,  must  in  some  measure  precede  its  consumma- 
tion. There  are  two  obstacles  to  her  entire  political  pros- 
perity, which  are  not  likely  to  be  removed  till  these  ends 
shall  have  been,  to  a  great  extent,  accomplished.  The  one  is 
the  empleomania,  or  mania  for  place,  which  has  already  been 
the  subject  of  remark;  the  other,  the  advantage  which  the 
government  has  over  the  people,  in  its  greater  facilities  for 
prompt  communication  and  action.  The  first  is  mainly  the 
result  of  the  few  opportunities,  hitherto  offered,  for  the 
profitable  exercise  of  industry  and  capacity.  Until  the  cause 
shall  have  been  removed,  the  evil  must  continue.  But 
although  the  desire  of  advancement  in  the  public  service, 


SPAIN.  3G9 

whicli  springs  from  lofty  aspirations,  is  self-sustaining,  as  all 
things  noble  are, — hanging  for  subsistence  on  the  favor  of 
the  little  great,  is  a  calling  which  few  will  consent  to  follow, 
who  have  access  to  any  thing  worthier.  Custom,  it  is  true, 
may  demoralize  men,  till  they  feel  no  humiliation  in  that  or 
any  other  sort  of  mendicancy.  Want  may  sometimes  break 
the  proudest  spirits  to  the  degradation  of  dependence  and 
servility.  But  the  young  and  earnest — on  whom  the  hopes 
of  nations  rest — must  loathe  such  things,  at  first,  though 
they  have  no  other  refuge  from  starvation.  Let  channels  but 
be  opened  for  industry  and  intelligence, — reasonable  induce- 
ments held  out  to  honest  toil, — reputable  and  remunerative 
occupation  given  to  the  hands  or  to  the  mind, — and  the 
throngs  which  bow  in  the  antechambers,  or  scowl  and  plot  in 
the  Puerta  del  Sol,  will  soon  be  reduced  to  the  few  who  are 
beyond  demoralisation.  It  would  of  course  be  going  too  far 
to  say  that,  even  then,  the  evil  will  be  eradicated  altogether. 
Our  own  national  experience  has  sadly  failed  to  demonstrate 
that  the  utmost  opportunity  for  the  acquisition  of  pecuniary 
independence  will,  of  necessity,  withdraw  men  from  the  pur- 
suit of  politics  as  a  trade.  But  if  the  good  of  a  diversion 
be  not  absolute,  it  will,  at  all  events,  be  a  good,  and  Spain 
is  in  no  case  to  despise  the  smallest  of  these.  The  evil  is 
certainly  that  which  retards,  more  than  any  other,  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  free  system,  and  its  uncorrupted  economical 
administration. 

Upon  the  other  point  little  need  be  said.     The  government 

is  a  vast,  connected,  organized  system, — moved  by  a  single 

will,  and  working  with  rapidity,  certainty,  and  concentration. 

The  people,  broken  into  provinces, — without  facility  of  access 

47 


370  SPAIN. 

to  each  other, — have  no  opportunity  for  the  speedy  formation 
or  expression  of  a  public  or  national  opinion, — no  means 
whatever  of  prompt,  united  action.  They  can  be  anticipated 
and  overawed, — kept  apart,  and  crushed  in  detail.  With  all 
needful  intelligence  and  spirit,  they  cannot  bring  either  to 
bear,  except  under  the  greatest  disadvantages.  With  abun- 
dant, but  scattered  strength,  they  are  unable  to  concentrate  or 
direct  it.  The  difficulty  is  chiefly  a  physical  one,  and 
material  agencies  alone  can  remove  it.  When  the  telegraph 
shall  flash  its  tidings  through  the  whole  land  at  the  same 
moment,  and  the  power  of  steam  shall  be  at  the  bidding  of 
the  spirit  which  they  may  awaken,  then  the  people  and  their 
rulers  will  be  fairly  in  the  lists,  and  with  an  equal  sun  the 
wrong  must  needs  go  down. 

There  may  be  persons  to  whom  the  views  and  anticipa- 
tions expressed  in  the  foregoing  pages  will  seem  too  flattering, 
— the  result,  perhaps,  of  partiality  for  a  favorite  nation. 
This  impression  may  not  be  altogether  unfounded.  The  par- 
tiality is  not  denied,  and  it  may  have  produced  its  natural 
eflPects.  Insensibly  too,  from  dwelling  on  a  subject,  the  judg- 
ment may  be  moulded  to  its  shapes.  "  In  contemplating 
antiquities/'  says  Forsyth,  translating  from  Livy,  '^  the  mind 
itself  becomes  antique."  The  author  has  endeavored,  as  far 
as  possible,  to  guard  against  this,  and,  even  if  unsuccessful, 
he  is  persuaded  that  his  opinions  have  been  afiected  far  less 
by  his  predilections,  than  he  has  found  those  of  many  of  his 
predecessors  to  have  been  by  the  prejudices  of  creed  and 
education.  Impartiality  is  no  doubt  the  philosophic  frame  of 
mind,  but  not  the  impartiality  of  indifference;  indeed  it  may 
be  questioned,  greatly,  whether  sympathy  is  not  a  necessary 


SPAIN.  371 

element  in  all  capacity  for  national,  as  well  as  other  apprecia- 
tion.    Antipathy,  at  all  events,  is  not  a  promising  one. 

But  if  the  author  should  not  be  fortunate  enough  to  merit 
entire  coincidence  with  his  opinions,  he  trusts  he  has  at  least 
established,  that  Spain  should  not  be  coupled,  as  she  usually 
is,  with  Austria  and  Russia,  in  our  popular  and  daily  denun- 
ciations of  despotism.  Surely  she  deserves,  if  any  nation 
can,  the  encouragement  and  sympathy  of  the  friends  of 
rational  liberty.  For  half  a  century — through  blood  and  fire 
at  first,  and  then  through  sad  oppression  and  strife,  and 
through  the  calmer  but  severer  trials  of  peaceful  revolution — 
she  has  been  indomitably  working  out  her  gradual  redemp- 
tion. Her  institutions  may  differ  from  ours.  Her  system  may 
be  imperfect;  her  power  may,  as  yet,  be  far  below  its  ancient 
scale  and  that  of  our  ])resent  predominance ;  but  the  fortitude 
and  perseverance  which  have  gone  thus  far  will  go  farther, 

"  ever  reaping  something  new, — 
That  which  they  have  done  but  earnest  of  the  things  that  they  shall  do." 

If  we  are  devoted  to  human  freedom  for  its  own  sake, — 
whatever  be  the  shape  it  takes, — it  becomes  us  to  welcome  a 
constitutional  monarchy  which  has  been  reared  upon  the  ruins 
of  a  despotism.  That  monarchy  may  be  devoted,  in  appear- 
ance, rather  to  the  cause  of  order  than  the  cause  of  progress  ; 
but  in  Europe  order  is  the  road  to  progress,  and  there  liave 
been,  of  late,  too  many  unhappy  illustrations  of  the  trutli  that 
the  worst  of  despotisms  is  that  which  follows  an  abortive  and 
too  hasty  effort  to  be  free.  All  cannot  be  altogether  like 
oui-selves.  All  need  not  be,  to  flourish.  To  sympathize  Avith 
none  but  those  who  adopt  our  forms,  is  to  reverence  but  the 


372  SPAIN. 

reproduction  of  ourselves, — to  forget  that  which  is  in  us  and 
in  our  forms,  and  alone  makes  them  and  us  what  we  are. 

But  whether  we  give  or  refuse  sympathy,  let  us  at  all  events 
do  justice.  The  one  is  our  own,  to  dispose  of  as  we  please, — 
the  other  we  may  not  honestly  withhold.  There  is  no  law 
by  which  a  man  may  be  compelled  to  love  his  neighbor  as 
himself,  but  there  is  legislation  on  the  subject  of  highway 
robbery.  Spain  has  the  sorest  need  of  her  resources,  in  her 
toilsome  struggle  for  happiness,  development,  and  freedom. 
Let  us  not  give  it  to  history  to  say,  that  she  was  compelled  to 
waste  the  means  of  her  deliverance  in  defending  herself  from 
republican  cupidity.  Strange  as  it  may  appear  to  some  of 
our  political  philosophers,  there  are  such  things  as  right  and 
wrong,  and  they  are  not  to  be  measured  by  the  wants  and 
desires  of  a  people,  any  more  than  by  the  ambition  and 
unscrupulousness  of  a  prince.  It  is  easy  enough  to  write  state 
pai)ers,  speak  speeches,  pass  resolutions,  and  invent  pretexts, 
in  defence  of  profitable  usurpation.  Men  of  great  intellect, 
and  flexible  temper  or  integrity,  may  be  j)urchascd  or  flat- 
tered by  temporary  popularity,  or  awed  by  general  opinion 
and  the  public  will,  into  the  support  of  any  heresy.  Great 
names  have  never  been  wanting  to  sanction,  or  great  abilities 
to  justify,  any  national  iniquity  that  promised  heavy  returns. 
Truth  and  justice  exist,  nevertheless,  and  magnanimity  and 
fair-dealing  with  the  weak  are  still  valued  among  men. 
Injustice  will  survive  the  best  gloss  that  we  can  put  on  it. 
Campbell  could  not  preclude  the  verdict  of  history,  by  all  the 
lyric  splendor  of  the  "Battle  of  tlie  Baltic."  If  the  annals  of 
the  world  show  any  thing,  it  is  that  national  power,  in  its 
utmost  duration,  is  not  so  lasting  as  national  shame. 


POSTSCRIPT. 


The  changes  which  have  taken  place  in  Spain,  since  the  period 
to  which  the  body  of  this  volume  more  particularly  refers,  do  not 
affect,  in  the  main,  the  correctness  of  the  sketch  which  has  been 
given.  It  may  be  well,  however,  to  notice  the  general  direction 
of  those  which  have  not  been  fully  adverted  to  already. 

Notwithstanding  the  very  large  majority  of  the  Moderados  in 
the  Cortes  chosen  in  1850,  it  became  apparent,  soon  after  their 
session  had  begun,  that  the  preponderance  of  the  party  furnished 
no  guaranty  for  the  permanence  of  the  existing  administration. 
The  Count  of  San  Luis  had  overshot  his  mark.  He  had  controlled 
the  elections,  but  could  not  manage  the  elect.  In  December, 
Bravo  Murillo  retired  from  the  cabinet,  and  the  dissensions  which 
followed  resulted  in  the  resignation  of  Narvaez  himself,  and  the 
dissolution  of  the  ministry  which  he  had  formed  and  kept  together. 
His  downfall  was  believed  to  be  the  work  of  Queen  Cristina. 
Recent  events  seem  to  indicate  his  return  to  power;  and  it  is 
impossible  that  such  a  man  can  fail,  for  any  length  of  time,  to 
make  his  influence  felt  in  one  shape  or  another. 

After  the  retirement  of  Narvaez,  the  reconstruction  of  the  coun- 
cil was  entrusted  to  Bravo  Murillo,  who  continued  until  recently 
to  occupy  its  presidency.  Various  cabinet  changes  and  dissolu- 
tions of  the  Cortes  have  taken  place  in  the  mean  time,  but  the 
Moderados  have  managed  to  retain  the  control  of  both  departments 
of  the  government.  Neither  of  the  groat  parties  has  been  without 
its  troubles  and  schisms.  Sr.  Pacheco  has  developed  the  secret  of 
these,  in  a  single  phrase.     "  Parties,"  he  observes,  "  which  were 

373 


374  POSTSCRIPT. 

framed  upon  public  principles,  have  split  upon  private  interests." 
The  laborers,  on  both  sides,  arc  out  of  proportion  to  the  harvest, 
and  some  of  them  are  fain  to  turn  their  reaping-hooks  into  swords. 
Among  the  Moderados,  the  advocates  of  extreme  doctrines  have 
had  the  ascendency,  as  the  acts  of  the  government  show.  The 
most  unfortunate  evidence  of  their  predominance  is  to  be  found  in 
the  restraint  imposed  on  the  press.  The  spirit  of  the  enactments 
on  that  subject,  lately  promulgated  and  enforced,  is  almost  iden- 
tical with  that  which  has  prevailed  for  some  time  past  in  France. 
Indeed,  upon  all  subjects,  the  tone  of  the  Spanish  officials  and  their 
organs,  until  the  recent  change,  had  grown  less  and  less  deferential 
to  the  constitution,  and  more  avowedly  and  openly  absolute. 

The  Progresistas,  forgetful  altogether  of  the  obvious  truth,  that 
no  opposition  can  be  effective  without  unity,  have  been  wasting 
their  strength  and  opportunities,  for  the  most  part,  in  the  unprofit- 
able discussion  of  abstract  questions.  While  they  debated  as  to 
the  degree  of  rapidity  with  which  progress  should  advance,  they 
were  imperceptibly  throwing  away  the  chance  and  their  ability  to 
secure  any  progress  at  all.  Of  late,  they  appear  to  have  regained 
their  wisdom,  and  with  it  their  organization  and  their  strength. 
In  the  Cortes  recently  assembled,  they  had  a  formidable  array  of 
numbers  and  parliamentary  talent.  The  Moderado  opposition, 
too,  was  full  of  vigor,  ability,  and  influence,  with  some  of  the  first 
names  of  the  nation  on  its  lists.  A  combination  of  the  opposing 
elements  resulted  in  the  entire  defeat  of  the  ministry  upon  the 
organization  of  the  Congress  of  Deputies.  Martinez  de  la  Rosa 
was  elected  President;  but  almost  his  first  duty  was  to  announce 
that  the  Queen  had  been  pleased  to  dissolve  the  Cortes.  Before 
taking  this  decided  step,  the  government  had  submitted  to  the 
legislature  several  projects  of  constitutional  reform, — all  of  them 
tending  towards  a  reduction  of  the  popular  power,  and  the  assimi- 
lation of  the  Spanish  system  to  that  of  Napoleon  the  Third.  The 
fate  of  measures  so  unnecessary  and  absurd  was  too  obvious,  in 
the  Cortes  as  they  then  stood,  and  there  was  no  alternative  but  a 
dissolution  of  the  cabinet  or  of  the  legislature.  The  next  Cortes 
will  assemble  in  March,  1853.  The  people  will  have  the  views  of 
the  reactionists  fully  before  them  in  the  elections,  and  it  can  hardly 


POSTSCRIPT,  375 

be  doubted  that  the  result  will  strengthen,  more  thiin  ever,  the 
hands  of  the  liberal  constitutional  party.  Indeed,  the  news  of  the 
dissolution  of  the  Murillo  ministry,  received  as  these  sheets  are 
going  to  the  press,  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  question  is 
already  substantially  settled. 

But  for  the  proximity  of  France,  and  the  unavoidable  influence 
of  the  imperial  doctrines  and  policy,  a  Spanish  cabinet  would 
hardly  have  ventured,  at  this  day,  upon  the  su^^gestiou  of  such 
changes  as  I  have  alluded  to.  So  obvious  is  this,  indeed,  that  the 
jrovernment  or^an  in  Paris  has  felt  it  necessary  to  disavow  all 
connection  of  the  Emperor  with  the  matter.  There  is  not  a 
nation  in  the  world  which  has  furnished  fewer  pretexts  than 
Spain  for  reactionary  legislation.  The  Spaniards  have  used  the 
degree  of  freedom  which  they  have  enjoyed,  with  prudence  and 
extreme  moderation.  They  have  committed  no  excesses, — run 
wild  with  no  theories, — organized  no  conspiracies, — invented  no 
infernal  machines.  They  have  dedicated  themselves,  soberly  and 
steadfastly,  to  the  development  of  their  material  resources,  asking 
nothing  but  to  be  protected,  or  at  all  events  let  alone.  They 
have  not  required  so  much  as  a  sham-fight  on  the  Prado,  or  a 
single  display  of  fireworks,  to  keep  them  in  perfect  good  humor 
with  their  rulers  and  themselves.  Even  a  government  confessing 
itself  arbitrary,  would  therefore  be  without  excuse  for  interfering 
with  the  constitution.  How  the  idea  of  such  a  thing  could  occur 
to  a  constitutional  cabinet, — composed  of  men  whom  the  consti- 
tutional system  had  created, — passes  all  understanding.  The 
pernicious  influence  of  the  Queen  Mother  is  probably  the 
immediate  source  of  the  movement.  The  progressive  tendencies 
of  the  people  and  the  unequivocal  revolution  which  old  ideas  and 
systems  have  already  undergone,  may  be  trusted  to  counteract  it. 

It  must  not  be  denied,  however,  that,  under  the  policy  of  the 
Murillo  cabinets,  the  prosperity  of  Spain  substantially  and  steadily 
advanced.  This  is  especially  true  in  regard  to  her  flnancial  atlairs. 
Nothing  practicable  was  neglected,  to  secure  an  economical  ad- 
ministration of  the  government  and  the  faithful  collection  and 
disbursement  of  the  public  moneys.  The  measures  which  were 
adopted  in  regard  to  the  debt  were  statesmanlike  and  earnest, — 


376  POSTSCRIPT. 

iudicating  a  due  appreciation  of  the  national  responsibility  and 
faith,  and  a  determination  to  provide,  to  the  extent  of  the  national 
ability,  for  the  payment  of  the  interest  and  the  gradual  extinguish- 
ment of  the  principal. 

It  would  be  tedious  to  enter  into  a  detail  of  the  administrative 
reforms  which  the  last  two  years  have  consummated.  One  of  the 
principal  of  these  was  the  suppression  of  the  Department  of  Com- 
merce, Instruction,  and  Public  Works.  The  supervision  of  public 
education,  which  was  one  of  the  functions  of  this  Department, 
has  passed  to  that  of  Grace  and  Justice.  Its  remaining  duties 
have  been  committed  to  a  new  department,  called  the  Ministerio 
de  Fomento ;  a  title  so  peculiarly  Spanish,  that  it  can  hardly  be 
better  rendered  into  English,  than  as  the  "  Department  of  Public 
Encouragement."  Agriculture,  commerce,  manufactures,  internal 
improvements,  and  the  general  industry  and  national  resources  of 
the  kingdom,  are  within  its  very  comprehensive  scope. 

The  administrative  embarrassments  which  have  been  previously 
alluded  to,  as  resulting  from  the  suppression  of  the  Council  of 
Indies,  seem  to  have  suggested  the  necessity  of  a  Colonial  Depart- 
ment, to  be  called  the  Ministerio  de  Ultramar.  At  the  last  dates 
from  Madrid,  the  details  of  its  organization  had  not  been  pro- 
mulged ;  but  there  appears  to  be  no  doubt  of  its  establishment 
within  a  brief  period.  The  magnitude  of  the  colonial  interests 
which  are  still  controlled  by  Spain,  would  seem  fully  to  justify  the 
contemplated  change.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  colonial  system 
will  be  so  far  modified  under  its  auspices,  as  to  remove  all  pretext 
for  dissatisfaction  with  the  government  of  the  mother  country. 
In  view  of  the  creation  of  the  Department  of  Ultramar,  that  of 
Fomento  seems  likely  to  share  the  fate  of  its  predecessor, — leaving 
its  functions  to  be  distributed  among  the  other  departments.  The 
policy  of  assigning  its  important  duties  to  officers  whose  labors 
are  already  sufiliciently  numerous  and  ill-performed,  may  well  be 
doubted  ;  but  any  permanent  arrangement  would  be  preferable  to 
continued  variation  and  experiment. 

The  desestanco,  or  removal  of  the  government  monopoly  from 
salt  and  tobacco, — a  measure  of  the  deepest  importance  to  the 
public  interests, — lately  occupied  the  attention  of  Sr.  Murillo. 


POSTSCRIPT.  oil 

Whether  it  was  suggested  merely  as  a  bid  for  popularity,  or  was 
really  contemplated  in  good  faith,  must  remain  in  doubt.  Little 
could  have  been  expected  from  the  liberality  of  an  administration 
which  could  promulgate  such  an  edict  as  that  recently  published 
in  regard  to  foreigners.  "  No  foreigner,"  says  its  third  article, 
"will  be  permitted  to  profess,  in  Spain,  any  religion  but  the 
Roman  Catholic  and  Apostolic."  Fortunately,  there  is  no  obli- 
gation imposed  on  strangers  to  profess  any  religion  whatever, 
except  in  connection  with  certain  legal  acts.  The  article  quoted 
is  nothing  new  in  the  Spanish  law,  but  it  seems  well-nigh  time  for 
something  better.     "  Of  old  things,"  some  "  are  over  old." 

January,  1853. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

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